Review by Vladimir on January 2, 2023.

When it comes to black metal bands, even in the US scene, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but there are some fish that are quite distinct in their own way. Case and point are the two-piece band Saidan from Nashville, Tennessee, spearheaded by Splatterpvnk and Hundosai. This band was recommended to me by a friend and fellow colleague, and although I usually skip on any recommendations either due to a lack of time or just general disinterest, this actually piqued my interest. If somebody mentioned to me that these two gentlemen blend black metal music with themes of Japanese horror and ghost stories, one might feel a bit skeptical about the overall execution and believe that this is just a work of people, or perhaps weeaboos who “unironically” watch generic anime and read manga with a very stretched plot, while listening to some obscure black metal. At first, I did feel a bit like that because I think that there’s just far too much weird stuff going on with this subgenre that it just keeps getting weirder and far less attractive, but I figured “what the hell, I’ll give it a chance, what have I got to lose?”. Their second full-length album Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal will be the topic of today’s review, which was released on Jems Label on April 15th 2022. So, what is the supposed “love product” of Japanese horror and black metal?

Another thing that had me worried was that this would be some blackened metalcore/deathcore band like Lorna Shore, because that has become a very frequent feature in the US metal scene nowadays, which would definitely not be my cup of tea. Luckily, not only was I wrong, I was actually quite surprised and impressed with the true nature of Saidan, and I learned my lesson again that a book should never be judged by its cover. This is actually pretty oldschool black metal, with very raw tremolo guitar riffs, beautiful guitar melodies and solos, double-bass drums, synths and shrieking vocals. Tracks 'Queen Of The Haunted Dell' and 'Girl Hell 1999' have some catchy mid-tempo riffing and drumming going on, but I have to mention that on the second track 'Queen Of The Haunted Dell', there is also a very punk riff with d-beat drumming that switches to an unexpected thrash metal-like breakdown that goes back to punk and d-beat. The fourth track 'Kate' is an acoustic interlude with calm clean singing which bridges the gap in the middle, before continuing to slice and dice everything with black metal. Another thing that should be mentioned is that the fifth track 'Pale Imitation' has some interesting and very direct lyrics of mockery which you should definitely read with a dose of morbid curiosity. The sixth track 'Yuki Onna' has an awesome tremolo riff with traditional sounding Japanese melodies, which has interesting conceptual lyrics about Yuki Onna (Japanese for “snow woman”), the famous spirit in Japanese folklore. The cover art for Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal, which is beautiful by the way, was that one key visual aspect that had me worried at first which made me misjudge the band before actually listening to the music, and I have to say that the songwriting and the visual representation do go together quite well. The sound production has very primitive and raw guitar tone, shrieking vocals with added vocal distortion and very atmospheric synths that in fact work with the general aesthetics and themes, even with Japanese traditional instruments on the track 'Yuki Onna'.

I clearly got off the wrong foot when I wanted to give this band a try, but I was fortunate enough to have finally heard it. I’d usually prefer Japanese folklore and black metal in the case of actual Japanese bands since I do like a few of them, but in the case of Saidan I do think that they did everything with brilliance and clear conscience, what made me realize in the end that it didn’t turn out to be a bunch of pretentious musicians trying to express their personal tastes and interests in foreign legends and cultures like some clueless teenagers. This album deserves all the love it needs, especially from those who like black metal and Japanese horror and ghost stories. Check it out!

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Alex on October 12, 2021.

Since Dolorous Death Knell, Sulphurous has had many eyes pierced on them. It was an act that stuck its foot out at a time that saw some of the best modern death metal acts release highly praised music. Nevertheless, this would be no intimidating factor for the lads involved in Hyperdontia, they stuck to their scythes and released a monstrous mass of pillaged flesh on a barren and burned landscape. Now once again the duo behind the sulphuric structure has resurfaced with yet another suffocating entry titled The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre. The beasts' name has been lurking around since its first full recording, but the silence has somewhat been broken with this latest effort that now sees the band take on the challenge for a higher podium position.

If you enjoyed their first album then this installment will surely pique your interest, it’s that plain and simple. Dolorous Death Knell was a smacking album, but The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre is on a different level. Whilst hearing it you can't stop thinking "more". Its compositional structure is a beacon in underground death metal and a delight to supporters of the sub-genre.

This album has a good dose of variation in the riffing structure that may even be perceived through the ear of the listener as somewhat technical at times. 'Dry Breath Of The Tomb' has some of this working alongside catchy riffs showing off the songwriting strength of the band. Then there's songs like 'Shadows Writhing Like Black Wings' and 'Eyes Of Fury' that make usage of similar techniques but to greater avail as a stronger sense of rhythm is kept alive.

One takeaway after listening to The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre is the sound of the band that gives off a slight Nile vibe. I might be wrong but that feeling won't go away. Middle Eastern sounds come to fruition ever so often with sharp but short-lived/teasing instances and bursts marinated into the makeup of the record. Plus, it must be noted that these highlights could not have been possible without the drumming being so fluent and accurate in playing with the riffs instead of playing over or against them, in turn easily adding definition to the music on The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre.

These 40+ minutes fly by so fast its surreal when listening to The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre. Never a moment you feel like the material is just dragging on or becomes tasteless, each composition as a whole feels complete, adequate and necessary. Then the artwork adds to all the glory, putting the finishing touches on a marvelous piece of death metal.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Alex on October 12, 2021.

Since Dolorous Death Knell, Sulphurous has had many eyes pierced on them. It was an act that stuck its foot out at a time that saw some of the best modern death metal acts release highly praised music. Nevertheless, this would be no intimidating factor for the lads involved in Hyperdontia, they stuck to their scythes and released a monstrous mass of pillaged flesh on a barren and burned landscape. Now once again the duo behind the sulphuric structure has resurfaced with yet another suffocating entry titled The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre. The beasts' name has been lurking around since its first full recording, but the silence has somewhat been broken with this latest effort that now sees the band take on the challenge for a higher podium position.

If you enjoyed their first album then this installment will surely pique your interest, it’s that plain and simple. Dolorous Death Knell was a smacking album, but The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre is on a different level. Whilst hearing it you can't stop thinking "more". Its compositional structure is a beacon in underground death metal and a delight to supporters of the sub-genre.

This album has a good dose of variation in the riffing structure that may even be perceived through the ear of the listener as somewhat technical at times. 'Dry Breath Of The Tomb' has some of this working alongside catchy riffs showing off the songwriting strength of the band. Then there's songs like 'Shadows Writhing Like Black Wings' and 'Eyes Of Fury' that make usage of similar techniques but to greater avail as a stronger sense of rhythm is kept alive.

One takeaway after listening to The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre is the sound of the band that gives off a slight Nile vibe. I might be wrong but that feeling won't go away. Middle Eastern sounds come to fruition ever so often with sharp but short-lived/teasing instances and bursts marinated into the makeup of the record. Plus, it must be noted that these highlights could not have been possible without the drumming being so fluent and accurate in playing with the riffs instead of playing over or against them, in turn easily adding definition to the music on The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre.

These 40+ minutes fly by so fast its surreal when listening to The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre. Never a moment you feel like the material is just dragging on or becomes tasteless, each composition as a whole feels complete, adequate and necessary. Then the artwork adds to all the glory, putting the finishing touches on a marvelous piece of death metal.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10