LimeWire Music Blog

It’s been a decade since the original release of the landmark album by this Italian symphonic metal band yet the unbridled power hasn’t dulled. Haunting organs and a symphonic dirge wallow behind wailing guitars and a thundering back beat on “The Oak,” serving as the foundation for vocalist Cadaveria’s evil barks about crucifixion and death. Interspersed in the 10-minute-plus track are hypnotic chants and a somberly melodic vocal bridge. It’s a dark formula the band employs throughout the release’s six tracks, the longest of which is the 14-minute “My Devotion,” a stunningly bleak piece that melds complex folk-metal, melodic doom, and soul-scorching, blackened death. Incorporating the most extreme aspects of the genre, yet focusing heavily on the symphonic edge, Sacro Culto had a key role in shaping the style perfected by bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. And hardcore black-metal fans will wonder why it has taken 10 years to re-release such a vital piece of the genre’s history.