Sacrocurse

Artist: 
Album Title: 
Unholier Master
Release Date: 
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Distribution: 
Review Type: 

It was rather evident that a label like Hells Headbangers (always having a great taste for indigestible rotten flesh…) would sign Sacrocurse. Their demo Sulphur Blessing showed the strength of this project, somewhat perfectly, quasi-shamelessly fitting to Hells Headbangers’ roster (I reviewed that stuff last year, and it had been posted on this site on September 22nd 2013; check it out if you dare, er, I mean, if you want to). The main result of this collaboration is called Unholier Master, the debut full length by Sacrocurse, which is, as a matter of fact, a project by Carlos ‘Zolrak’ Montes, whom you might know from his present or past activities in e.g. Unholier, Nokturnel, Morbosidad, Nodens or Obeisance. This time he worked with drummer LZ, by the way.

Unholier Master, which clocks just over half an hour, is a collection of mostly bloodied, demonical and morbid pieces of Sonic SickneSS, rooted within a slightly grind-edged Old School Death-basement, and un-colored by bleak, anti-white nastiness. Damn, I know that this description does not really say anything, but the sick ones amongst you might guess what I am blubbling about (if ‘blubbling’ did exist…). Anyway, Unholier Master brings a form of Proto-Death Metal, subtly injected with elements from Blackcore (honestly, neither I was aware this style did exist… That’s the funny thing about being a reviewer: you can invent whatever you want, as long as it stipulates truth and reality!) and Thrash Metal, reminding me to earlier Impiety, Profanatica, NunSlaughter, Bestial Warlust or Blasphemy, though even Sarcofago, Repulsion or Autopsy might come to mind.

What else can I add right now, since you know what this stuff sounds like. Well, actually there is not that much to say anymore. This material is about as great as the bands I compared this one with, though nowadays it might seem little dated. Yet at the other hand, Hells Headbangers are here to promote this kind of revived morbidity, and I will not be the one to ignore, deny, or denigrate this kind of sonic nastiness. On the contrary; it brings back the essence of the initial fun of sadism and malignancy, and the result is truly desatisfactive! I know, this word does not exist, but since I like to play with neologisms… Anyway, Unholier Master brings two hands full of masterly executed anti-hymns that focus on the essence of primal evilness, based on plain structures (which are, in this case, the only possibility!), a sleazy and furious performance, and an unpolished yet highly intense production.

Unholier Master is not the most renewing album at all, nor does it completely surprise. Yet it’s un-decently performed and executed. No further comment, so if you can appreciate at least one of the bands I mentioned etc…

84/100