CoC : Salacious Gods - Sunnevot : Review

Salacious Gods - _Sunnevot_
(Cold Blood Industries, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (8.5 out of 10)

Like many black metal bands, Salacious Gods have an affinity for excessively long song titles (try "The Prolongation of the Search for the Citadel of the Crowned Serpent") and there is the obligatory photo of the band bedecked in corpse paint and looking grim -- not to mention the use of pseudonyms --, but don't let these cliches put you off. This sophomore release from Dutch quintet Salacious Gods is easily one of the best black metal releases I've had the pleasure of hearing this year. While the vocalist has the unfortunate tendency to remind this reviewer of Dani Filth in one of his more subdued moments, this is no copycat Cradle of Filth band. One element which helps to separate them from the black metal masses is their occasional use of what can only be described as "happy" or "uplifting" riffs. While this might sound out of place within the generally bleak atmosphere of black metal, it works surprisingly well and has before on other black metal releases -- most notably on Dimmu Borgir's excellent _Stormblast_ album. Keyboards are also present, but their selective use means they complement rather than overpower the guitars. Personal favourite is "Manifest of the Phantoms Fasade" (sic), an infectiously catchy song worth 10 out of 10 by itself. Unfortunately, only the title track comes close to the calibre of the aforementioned song, but the other eight tracks are still of sufficient quality for _Sunnevot_ to fully deserve its high rating.

Contact: http://www.coldbloodindustries.com

(article published 14/1/2002)