Release date: 17th September 2021
It has been a long time since Saturnian Mist’s last full-length release – six years in fact – but good things come to those who wait because their 2021 album Shamatanic is a stunning piece of art.
In more recent years, I have found myself becoming a little fussier and more difficult to please when it comes to good black metal – so to find something so instantaneously engaging is fantastic. There’s an innate ‘nastiness’ to the sound, which I love, and there’s just something about the music that draws you in. The songwriting is hypnotic and impactful, with opener Ill-Mystic drawing you in right from the get-go and keeping you hooked from thereon in – the subtle air of mystery to the music really works well.
All of the songs bring something engaging to the table, but my personal favourite is the title track, Shamatanic. There’s a furious energy to it right from the get-go, and the melodic almost-primal instrumental section really adds a lot of colour to the piece, especially as it repeats throughout the rest of the song.
The more you listen to Shamatanic, the more it draws you in. There’s so many incredible little intricacies to Saturnian Mist’s sound that you can’t help but pick up on another new element on each subsequent listen – and it’s truly a sign of masterful songwriting. Shamatanic is something a little different to the norm, and that’s what makes it so great.
