Review by Arek on September 7, 2017.

Masachist returned! This is their third death metal lash out and I must warn you, it is much stronger than the previous ones. After five years of silence, five well-known and deeply rooted in the Polish underground musicians gave free rein to their sick visions. Although the material was created and recorded at the turn of 2015/2016, the final twists and the embodiment were placed upon it in 2017. Nearly 41-minute long music cartridge was loaded with nine bullets. Modern and powerful sound came from Arkadiusz "Aro" Jabłoński from MonroeSound Studio, and Andrzej Zdrojewski took care of the graphic design. Once again, Witching Hour Production was the publisher.

For those of you who have not heard Masachist yet I will only mention that musical roots of this quintet from Jaroslaw are firmly embedded in American / Floridian death metal in the likes of early Deicide and Morbid Angel, as well as Hate Eternal or Immolation. Their first album Death March Fury was almost a thank you album for the above mentioned. On the next album Scorned the sound went a bit into the technological and industrial atmosphere, and on The Sect gentlemen returned to the bloody, heavy and sticky death metal. Industrial leanings, however, remained and I praise them for it! They are mostly noticeable in ‘Glorious Death’ and ‘The Root Of Life’. They are heavy and slightly hypnotic or trance like, but brutal and not deprived of incomprehensible death metal tinge. The first three bullets on the album are vigorous shots right in the face in which roller-like breakdowns are of the signal kind. Strongly Morbidian with twisted guitar riffs in E.Rutan style.

Sauron's vocals are the quintessence of death metal. They remind me a little of the golden times of Glen B. in Vital Remains. Maybe we'll not find a lot of diversity and melody in them, but is it the foundation of death metal? From the ‘Glorious Death’, the album takes on a more viscous and trance like character in the style of Immolation’s "Atonement", but with industrial twist for a change. In ‘Hang Them’ and ‘Leave The World Burning’ the machine gun returns and the blood flows freely squirting on the bathroom tiles. But this 100-tonne roller reminds of itself often to finally crush all in ‘The Root Of Life’. Anyone who survives will be able to taste the power of the ending ‘Our Light’ with a mesmerizing ending.

The first hearing of The Sect indicated that Masachist had gone the way of the latest Immolation, but each subsequent listen showed the differences of both bands. Of course, I’ll agree that Masachist is already stepping on the well-trodden, even slightly stale path of Florida's death metal and does not bring anything revolutionary. However, I think that not all cards have been shown yet, and those five Poles show how old good death metal can be played at a high level, will not bore the listener and even throw something in from themselves. The full-bloodied, heavy hitting sound of the album makes sure that those industrial leanings will not discourage old school metal extremists. That's why I call for the golden horns for "Aro" and "Monroe S.S." Whoever else is still not convinced about The Sect I encourage you to listen to it more! Necessarily with a volume knob cranked all the way up! Every successive side of the Masachist trio will bring more gain. Believe me.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on May 4, 2017.

Crimson Dawn performs an epic form of traditional doom. The band plays a style similar to Black Sabbath and Candlemass, but there are also parallels to the new Pallbearer to be found here. The ability to compare this band to many doom acts credits them strongly as a band.

The gloomy, downtrodden riffs here are gleaming and powerful. It is a combination that doesn’t necessarily make them positive sounding, but makes them epic and addictive. The band is perhaps most similar to Candlemass, even in the singing. This is doom that forms the foundation for the genre. One can see the typical sounds of the genre in the song Skeleton Key, for example. Musically, there is something to like in all aspects here. The vocals are sharp and poignant and help the music. The riffs are strong and resonate with the listener. Add in some solid drumming and the musicianship is of a high quality.

It is really the deep, dark riffs that steal the show, however. They are simply a joy to behold and make the music more moving each second. The album really sticks to a similar formula for the majority of its length and makes sure to ingrain it into your brain. The music is epic, yet very structured and certainly worth of the traditional vibe. If there is any problem with the music it’s that it’s somewhat unoriginal. This style has been performed before and done slightly better if one only looks at the classic Nightfall album from Candlemass. Still, the band nurtures this type of music.

They make the doom guitar riff cool again and proceed to throw a number of them into your face. One will only come out loving the doom genre again even if it is a little too similar to the masters. Chronicles of an Undead Hunter is strongly recommended doom metal.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10