Review by Vladimir on May 26, 2024.

Whenever someone mentions the original wave of black metal bands from the 80's, you just can't miss out the Japanese legends Sabbat, one of the filthiest and purest bands out there. Thanks to the burning passion and energy of their vocalist and bassist Gezol, the band has managed to endure for exactly 40 years, with so many EP's, demos, compilations, splits and live albums being released alongside their full-lengths. The everlasting legacy of this band is still gathering new maniacs across the globe, and as of recently, they released their tenth full-length album Sabbaticult on April 6th, 2024 via Nuclear War Now! Productions on a limited run of 100 vinyl copies, and on April 15th, 2024 via Evil Horn Records on a limited run of 200 cassette copies. If you are willing to join the Sabbaticult and experience the savage aggression of Japanese steel, then you are in for a ride.

From the very get-go with the title track 'Sabbaticult', it instantly lets you know that Sabbat has returned in all its wild and crazed glory to mercilessly rip everything to shreds with its maniacal black/thrash attack like a drug infused berserker, slaughtering anything that stands in its way. If that wasn't enough to convince you, then 'Desecration' is here to punch you in the face so hard it makes you bleed, because the evil and intense riffing, alongside Gezol screaming like a goddamn savage, are simply over the top that you will beg for more. It's great to hear that the barbaric and wicked oldschool heavy metal and punk rock energy of Sabbat is still there since the band's inception, and whenever you think it can't get heavier or even more insane, that's when it strikes harder like a ravenous beast to devour. As much as the fast and thrash moments are obligatory and kickass in Sabbat's music, the mid-tempo parts fused with heavy metal melodies and solos are also great and even more badass in my opinion, especially in examples such as 'Oh, My Baby 666' and 'Satanic Witches Fire'. As much as I love the constant and merciless black-thrashing, along with the catchy riffing, I adore the fact that they frequently use their heavy metal elements throughout the entire album, because it gives a nice throwback to the demo releases from the early 80's.

Sabbat has always been very straight to the point with their songwriting, without ever trying to reinvent the wheel or incorporate something that would diminish their pure and occult magic, and Sabbaticult is just what you would ever want from Sabbat's album. The simplicity and the heaviness of the riffs shines all the way through, always keeping you engaged with every song, especially on the final track 'Kanashibari The Dwelling (Eternal Curse 7x3)' that is perhaps the most entertaining of the bunch. What many people have complained about Sabbat's music are the screaming vocals of Gezol, deeming them as silly and complete non-sense, and this album is no exception to that criticism. I'm aware that Sabbat is not a band for everyone out there, because it's a band loved only by the pure and hardcore oldschool extreme metal devotes, so the only thing I can say to you is what has been said numerous times, "if you are false, don't entry", no more, no less. Production-wise, the album has a very demo tape-recording quality that sounds like it came straight from the vault of 1984-1987, and it's as dirty and raw as you can imagine.

Sabbat has been known as one of the filthiest bands in the world for so many, and I am very glad that they have not changed by a longshot, because their new album Sabbaticult is a killer black/thrash metal release that throws you back into the occult shackled dungeons of the mid 80's. No matter how over the top their performance may be, this band means business and their new album on its own is a pure statement against the pretentious masses that polluted the world of metal. If you are hungry for violence, aggression, and pain, go and check out Sabbaticult by either purchasing the album on cassette or at least checking it out on Canadian Maniac's YouTube channel.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10