Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun

[dead last]

http://youtu.be/cQXEoGoiQfs

Just started listening to this album as part of my expansion into slightly-less-well-known originary black metal.

The melody is not afraid to stray toward more major structures. The atmosphere is not purely black-drenched-evil, it is more empowering and majestic than the more maniacal ranting of Mayhem. Still has the theatricality of Nightside Eclipse but no over-long or excessively flashy phrases.

And, while I finish writing this, the track number (in my MediaMonkey player) of this song happens to be 666.

[KingdomGone]

I just love this stuff. Pure northern freezingly melancholy melodic black/death metal a'la atthegatessentenceddissectionuuhhhh...

[aquarius]

http://youtu.be/cQXEoGoiQfs

Just started listening to this album as part of my expansion into slightly-less-well-known originary black metal.

The melody is not afraid to stray toward more major structures. The atmosphere is not purely black-drenched-evil, it is more empowering and majestic than the more maniacal ranting of Mayhem. Still has the theatricality of Nightside Eclipse but no over-long or excessively flashy phrases.

And, while I finish writing this, the track number (in my MediaMonkey player) of this song happens to be 666.

Yes it is a great album. Always reminds me of a more 'heavy metal' sounding In the Nightside Eclipse.

[dead last]

To really stick my neck out, I would even say that modern Krallice albums carry out this method of intertwining, serpentine riffs that spiral and augment or conflict within each other. I won't argue that Krallice does the style more tastefully... just an observation. But yes, the heavy-metalness is very evident in the sense of epic structure and obvious melody. A valuable synthesis of atmospheres and techniques, this.

Any more recommendations along these lines would be much appreciated. Hell, I'll even give you a cookie.

[Invisible Sandwich]

I think the 'obvious' recommendation after one has listened to Sacramentum is usually Slaughtersun by Dawn, which plays around with much of the same style. They play lengthier songs, and although I'm not intimately familiar with the album; what I've listened to seems to have an overextension problem that keeps it from being top tier. Witchcraft by Obtained Enslavement is also worth a spin if you like this sort of metal - aesthetically it runs a bit closer to Emperor.

Anyways, I can't really think of many albums that indulge in polyphony and counterpoint as much as Sacramentum. One part of this is that making substantial use of the technique requires some music knowledge beyond what a lot of black metal does. Another possibility is that in substyles closer to traditional heavy metal, the urge to regress or otherwise streamline would be far more difficult for musicians to control.

[Rotten Ralph]

I think the 'obvious' recommendation after one has listened to Sacramentum is usually Slaughtersun by Dawn, which plays around with much of the same style.

I recently gave Slaughtersun a listen after it was mentioned on the news section that this was the band's apex and it I'm really impressed with it. I always thought the first album was decent but I now have a lot more respect for this band after heaing this epic release. Not as good as Sacramentum but way better than Dissection in terms of melodic black metal.

[death metal black metal]

Dissection is best understood as heavy metal.

Try also the first Eucharist album. Has the same deadlights rhythm that ATG made famous.

[Vigilance]

I agree with the assessment of slaughtersun which stated accurately that the song lengths overstay their welcome. Individual ideas for that matter tend to linger a bit longer than they should which hampers the experience significantly. This is a problem dissection avoided on their first release which I'll continue to hold in higher regard than Dawn. I don't think it's fair to compare FAFTS to dissection as, to my tin ears, the intent is different from Dissection, despite stylistic similarities. I think Dawn had more to say musically than they did artistically, so what you get is a good sense of their feelings towards metal in their objectification into sound rather than emotion produced by extra-musical experience/perception.

[trystero]

The stuff to listen to after Far Away From The Sun is the earlier demo, Finis Malorum. Moonfog and Devide et Empera are glorious tracks that I think nothing on FaftS can really top (as an individual track). Moonfog especially has this beautiful extended melody that ends in the lower registers rather than just keeping on going higher like pretty much every single metal band. Beautiful, elegant, but a bit clumsy as it is both a demo and they were quite young musicians. Very glad to hear you have finally given the album a good listen dead last. More rewards await with more black metal.

[dead last]

Thanks gents, I will definitely make sure Slaughtersun gets a few good spins soon.

Trystero; I also have that Finis Malorum EP, and started listening to it unintentionally as my media player just went into it since it is next on the list after FAFTS ends. Does sound good so far, will keep listening.

[wEEman33]

Dissection is heavy metal.

Sacramentum is black metal.

[iddqd]

Far Away from the Sun is one of my desert island albums, and maybe my pick for best Black Metal album - ever. This album is a perfect example of the distinction between melodic and melodious, the latter being the more correct term to describe the "melodic" death metal style that Gothenberg made famous. With Sacramentum, the melodic phrases are the most important element, and if you want to make Classical Romantic Period allusions, you do it here, with sweeping, epic melodies that tastefully narrate a blasting Swedish DM style, painted with a black metal brush, while never succumbing to boring, backward thinking melodic styles of earlier hard rock and heavy metal - think of the second Unanimated LP with the dumb soloing as an example of how to do it wrong.

[lost_wanderer]

the sequel:  ''far away from the light''

http://www.postedecoute.ca/catalogue/cover/xlarge/327747.jpg

[dead last]

the sequel:  ''far away from the light''

http://www.postedecoute.ca/catalogue/cover/xlarge/327747.jpg

Trve Black Metal!

[trystero]

Songwriting (structuring songs around lyrical etc. content) is all over the place though on this album. No duds, all great songs, but not as good in that department as say, Infester, Burzum, even Immortal. About half of the songs are just sort of Dissection-y when it comes to overall structure. To their credit, little feels incomplete, but this could have been a greater album than it was. The promise of Finis Malorum was, imo, not fully realized.