The first time I listened to Sar Isatum was at the beach while on vacation, and while sun and sand don’t normally mix with black metal, the debut release displays an uncanny elegance and grace – amidst the aggression, of course. Shurpu contains a nice take on the style, as the Colorado act’s music is fairly technical and symphonic, and there’s a decided death metal edge to the riffing and melodies that all comes together to make something sound evil and easy on the ears. The production quality is a little too loud, but there’s a solid clarity and weight to the mix that further elevates the grandiose style at play here. It’s hard not to notice a little bit of mid-career Behemoth as a sonic touchstone, but Sar Isatum smartly swerve enough away from this and other obvious influences (Emperor, Marduk) to make the style their own.
The quality of songs is also quite notable; when you begin a record with an eight-minute track, you better bring the goods, and “Sar Isatum” delivers the most impressive songwriting on the record. It’s a testament to the group’s talent that the rest of the album never really falters too much from that opening high note. Songs are consistently very good to great, though there’s a lack of indelible melodies after the impressive opening trio of tracks. Ultimately, Shurpu is an impressive debut from a new band who shouldn’t be unsigned much longer. Even if their sound isn’t quite unique, the group’s flair for the dramatic and songwriting talent highlight why Sar Isatum is a new black metal group on the rise.
