It is kind of hard to make any kind of argument about the band's growth when you are going backwards from the third album to the first. Much of the music on this release is less-polished and raw. In the review yesterday, I mentioned that they sounded like a grimier version of Venom. The Venom comparison is even more apt here, particularly on songs like "Evil Nations" which would have fit in very well on Cronos and gang's album At War with Satan. "Deathtemptation (Kanashibari Pt. 2)" is one of the strongest songs on the album, with a terrific riff and some of the best vocals on the entire release. The noodling in the background of the choruses is particularly effective. The entire song has an evil atmosphere to it, complemented by the gruff raspy vocals.
"Carcassvoice" is a really weird song. It has a heavy punk vibe to it and features some bizarre double vocals. One singer provides some lower-pitched growling snarls while the other pitches in with some much higher-register shrieking. The two styles do not mix well at all and the song is kind of annoying during those parts. It does get better as it goes on though, ditching those vocals for more of a surf-rock style groove. The vocals are also the downfall of "Eviler", which is just a hilarious song title, but features more punkish shouting that just does not work well. But these issues are just minor annoyances in an otherwise great album.
Sabbat released a damn impressive debut album that was just a sign of things to come for the band. It is raw and intense, but the band never really moved away from this general sound. They just continued to improve on it.
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