The Sabbathian - Latum Alterum (2019)

From the mind of Chad Davis, today we have The Sabbathian’s debut full-length release “Latum Alterum. Fronted by Anette Uvaas Gulbrandsen from Norway, this duo unleashes a very unique brand of Doom Metal filled with psychedelic and occult elements, similar to the early days of Sabbath Assembly, and the music of Jex Thoth. Delivering over 44 minutes of crunchy gloomy music, this is definitely a must have for fans of the genre.

After setting a somber mood with the intro track, “The Brightest Light” unravels the band’s full potential with piercing warm fuzzy riffs and dreamy female vocals. The music is quite hypnotic, instantly creating a very creepy and powerful wall of sound. With Chad Davis handling all the instruments, we get that very well crafted core of rudimentary Doom elements that are playfully arranged to craft haunting melodies like on “Liti Kjersti” and “Head of a Traitor”.

Reminding us of bands from the mid 90’s like Storm and Wongraven, “One Night of Cruelty” has a certain Black Metal edge to its atmosphere while Anette’s vocals have an eerie certain Kari Rueslåtten vibe from her Storm days. The rawness of some tracks like “Embrace the Dark” create a very cool retro vibe with buzzsaw guitars and creepy layering of vocal tracks. This creativity allows the band to carve their own unique sound that is both direct and accessible while heavy on atmosphere.

Closing with some more BM infused riffs, “Evig hvile / Libera Me” is definitely one of the best tracks in this release thanks to its sheer simplicity. Overall, “Latum Alterum” is a brilliant release filled with interesting elements crafted to perfection. You won’t hear anything overly fancy or overproduced, the album is quite raw, adding to its eerie charm. If you like creepy Doom music with occult/psychedelic undertones, look no further and keep an eye out for The Sabbathian.

Label: Svart Records

Release: January 25th, 2019

Genre: Doom Metal

Country: International