Sargeist is one of the foundations of the Finnish Black Metal scene, a deadly force of Satanic wrath. They, along with Horna (Shatraug is associated with both Cult entities) and the unholy Behexen, form this Black Metal pyramid, a diabolical trinity if you will.

Flame Within Flame is their sixth full-length following 2018’s Unbound, and they’ve come so far since their blistering debut Satanic Black Devotion back in 2003 that it’s jaw-dropping. Bringing their hate brigade to staggeringly evil heights.

“An Eternal Dream Beyond the Accursed Portent” is the first of these nine Satanic hymns, and it starts off with this killer riffing over a striding beat right before the blasts storm through the gates with malicious intent.

This album rips a flaming portal between our world and the darkest corners of humanity. The title track is a pitch-black slab of grim, Finnish Black Metal done right. Nur-i-siyah (drums) is a beast behind the kit, propelling this vessel of hatred toward the world’s end.

They rip through “The Chant of Rotting Tongues” and spread blasphemy over the earth with “Incandescence of the Funeral Pyre”. Flame Within Flame is an evil album. Sargeist sounds solid and victorious. The production is stellar courtesy of VJS (they’re somewhere out there, you know how it goes).

Flame Within Flame also sees Shatraug doing vocals for the first time since the demo days, which is a treat in itself; his rasped vocals are particularly understandable as opposed to his work with Horna. This is a bloody great Black Metal album from the get-go.

The riffs are the backbone of any great album, and Flame Within Flame is no exception to that statement. “Ordained and Adorned”, “To the Mistress of Blackest Magic”, and “Juravit Sanguine” pulverize your fragile eardrums till they bleed. The drums blast at sonic speed one second and switch to an earth-moving Thrash speed deftly.

After a blistering ritual at Steelfest (ooooh scary! ), Sargeist are out to kill every living thing. The last two tracks, “Behold Our Temples Arise” and “Rite of Ascension”, close out the album in brutal fashion; proof that Sargeist are full of Satanic Black Devotion going into 2025. Flame Within Flame is their anthem to his unholy majesty!

Sargeist needs no introduction; this is a nasty, yet fantastic offering that deserves a spot in your collection. If you worship at the altar of Behexen, Horna, and Carpathian Forest, you need to get this album. It’s a ruthless and relentless beating that will benefit you in these turbulent times.

[Visit the band's website]

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