Sanctification - Black Reign

SANCTIFICATION - Black Reign (PULVERIZED Records CD 2009)

I don't think that Swedish Sanctification is a band, which gained much recognition in these nearly two decades of their existence. But only two albums in discography - and last one "Black Reign" released in 2009 - may have caused that people simply forgot about them. Which is a shame, because they are (or were???) certainly a killer band. Quite different to your usual Swedish death metal group, but maybe that's why they're so distinctive. Not that their take on death metal was anything unique and spectacular. But it's just the fact that Sanctification sounded much more like an American death metal band than Swedish was something intriguing. 

"Black Reign" so often sounds like a bastard son of Cannibal Corpse and Deicide that you just have to love this piece of shit. Very intense, vicious and brutal riffage, great feeling, aggression, nastiness... For a brutal band, it is cool that a lot of these riffs are simply memorable and good dose of this material sticks in your head, giving incentive for another spin of the CD. And did I mention that Sanctification really came out with a whole lot of killer riffs? I love them and for this style of death metal they certainly sound top notch. Just as top quality is the whole performance of every band member or the production from Abyss Studio - which luckily sounds more powerful and harsher than some of these too polished Hypocrisy albums. 

So, definitely I can say that when I listen to such albums as "Black Reign", I don't need to hear something unique or spectacular, I am just happy to be smashed by such nasty, brutal death metal songs. Sanctification definitely succeeded. These nearly 30 minutes of music is enough for me to get crazy and unleash a pure energy. Everything is very well balanced, also if we speak of the tempos, variety of ideas or riffing style. I love the intensity, ferocious sound of this music... Yeah, absolutely top-quality death metal (which, I also have to say, reminds me also another Swedish band, Aeon!). Only the artwork is crap, but it's not something I would care about at all. Check this album out then. I hope also to see this band back in action one day! 

Standout tracks: "Raw", "Storm", "Dead Forever" 

Verdict: 80/100