Seemingly out of nowhere, Ultra Silvam‘s 2019 debut album (The Spearwound Salvation) exploded my head and those of many other listeners like a drone strike on an ammunition depot. I immediately became an enthusiastic fan and ultimately put one of the album tracks on our list of 2019’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs (here).
And so it’s been a thrill to discover that these bloody-minded Swedes are returning with a follow-up full-length, which will be released in February on a multitude of formats by Shadow Records (distributed and marketed by Regain Records). Its name is The Sanctity of Death, and it’s even more dynamic and stylistically multi-faceted than its predecessor, but no less explosive, electrifying, or virally contagious. As a nova-like sign of all that, we give you the premiere stream of a delirious song with a mouthful of a title: “Förintelsens andeväsen del II: Den deicidala transsubstantiationens mysterium“.
Take gulps of air before you press play, because you’ll need the extra oxygen. This new song is a bonfire of wild turmoil and demented ecstasy, melding grand chords and electrifying leads that swirl, whirl, and sear the senses, backed by gripping percussive turbulence and mad-wolf vocals. Moving at a full-throttle pace, the band also introduce chords of ominous mastery, thrilling thrash riffs, and berserk bursts of soloing, as well as those equally berserk vocals, which move fast and gnash ferociously.
The track’s furious momentum and superheated energy are almost unrelenting, though Ultra Silvam do break up the mayhem with a pounding groove and an infectious burst of old-school heavy metal riffing — and end it in eerily sinister fashion.
Shadow Records has established staggered release dates for the album’s various formats, with a digital edition coming on February 20th, CD and tape releases set for February 25th, and a vinyl EP releasing on June 26th.
The album was recorded by Devo Andersson (MARDUK) in Endarker Studio, Norrköping, and it was mixed and mastered by Marco S. Vermiglio at The Forge Music Production. The wicked cover art was made by Samuel E. Thomas (Set33).
We’re also including a stream of the previously released title track, which provides another very cool dose of melodic black metal with good old heavy metal accents.
PRE-ORDER:
https://regainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-sanctity-of-death
ULTRA SILVAM:
https://www.facebook.com/ultrasilvam