Review by Jeger on May 27, 2025.

Sarastus - the reigning Finnish underground's most promising triumvirate of the blackest art of BM - a tightly-knit brotherhood of artists whose impact has been starkly felt since their inception by those of us who are in the know. Their 2019 opus, Enter The Necropolis, saw the band poised to join the ranks of the Finnish elite: Sargeist, Satanic Warmaster, Horna and Behexen. This widely-revered recording would seemingly have paved the way, but following its release… Silence. A sacred absence wherein wayward projects would be birthed and a couple of lineup shifts would transpire. Purist Curmudgeons have argued that Sarastus' music is too catchy… Ever hear Sargeist's "Let The Devil In"? Probably the catchiest Black Metal record to have ever emerged from out of the coveted Finnish scene, and, in my opinion, the greatest Black Metal album to have EVER been released! It's just what the Finns do, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

There are a number of reasons as to why Finland produces the very best black metal: soul-churning melodicism, deeply-seated lyrically and brimming with pride has been the Finnish recording way, despite some of its more brutish projects that include Archgoat and Impaled Nazarene who conceived the scene under the mark of extremism. Sarastus is just one of many collective examples of gorgeous Finnish scene evolution, and on July 1, Sarastus will release their third LP, Agony Eternal, via Dominance of Darkness.

Agony Eternal is no poorly sketched cover art, lyrics in Finnish, shoddily recorded Suomi Black Metal album. Those are important, but some outfits just operate at a higher level, to a higher standard. What you'll discover here is BM of the global-class kind where engineering quality and class stand paramount; stuff you can effortlessly wrap your head around and allow to take you under, or send you adrift upon lofty riffs and finesse cadences. Discernible in comparison to many Black Metal volumes vocals create a profound and lasting impression. During the titular track, it's the rhythm section that tows in freight every second of runtime, as backdropped guitar parts hold everything together. Epic intros like the one in the following cut, "Towards Eternity", tantalize your instincts for the beauty to come: air-tight fluttering tremolos and swift blast-beats. Like a man possessed behind the mic is Galgenvot, as he alternates between hefty gutturals, hearty bellows and tortured screams.

The agony of existence - cutting through the minutes like a recurring intrusive thought; one of jerking the wheel into a street light post or of jamming a knife into your jugular. Misery offset by the beauty of the music. A more solidly composed version of Advent Sorrow's "Kali Yuga Crown" is "Agony Eternal". Practically adventurous, almost like an Immortal record; triumphantly uplifting during some parts, dreadfully depressive during others and it doesn't matter the tempo. The overall feeling here is depression and the aesthetic is the realization of the hidden beauty therein like the promise of better days to come; holding on despite the pain. "Metamorphosis" - a sonic silver lining when stood aside the preceding tracks. Ensnaring melodic sequences that grip you just before you're untangled and sent soaring into the majesty of the equally stunning "From Pride, To Shame, To Misery". A victor of a Black Metal album through and through.

Torches of the fading dreams of yesteryear to dimly light the darkness; casting an ominous glow upon the reality of our own sad condition: dreadful poetry etched into the chasm walls, a barren & pitch black atmosphere above and bitter effigies of a life-once-fruitful but now poisonous to guide us through. Poisoned by the venom of our own self-loathing as the minutes tick into hours and the hours into days in this, a most hopeless existence. Not one bad song… A specimen of true Finnish Black Metal and a testament to the dominant nature of the Suomi scene. Bravo!

Rating: 9 out of 10