(written by Islander)
The Polish black metal band Black Altar, spearheaded by its leader Shadow, have been releasing music since 1998, assembling a discography that now includes two albums, a large assortment of splits, EPs, and singles, and two compilation records. Their most recent release is a three-way split named Drakonian Elitism from January 2024 that also includes music by Ofermod and Acherontas.
Black Altar contributed four tracks to that nearly hour-long release, including “In the Labyrinths of Sitra Achra“, which is the subject of the lyric video we’re premiering today.
We’re not experts in Kabbalistic mysticism, but a bit of surface-level researching reveals that in Kabbalistic texts Sitra Achra is the realm of evil, literally the “other side” of holiness, the side of Kelipah descended from the World of Chaos. That side includes three unclean Klipot, called “whirlwind,” “great cloud,” and a “blazing fire.” This seems relevant because Black Altar‘s song conjures visions of all three in commanding fashion.
The drumming throughout the song is electrifying; the bass powerfully drives the listener’s pulse; and the riffing extravagantly blazes, deliriously roils in brilliant tones, and also rings like reptilian chimes.
The music is possessed, sinister, lustful, defiant, and ecstatically fierce, at once rabid but also wrapped by the glittering guitars in an aura of esoteric mysticism, perhaps especially when the drums briefly vanish and a lone guitar vibrantly swirls. In its closing crescendo the song blazes toward a zenith of ferocious, fire-bright glory.
Throughout the song, Shadow‘s gritty vocals — roaring, howling, and strangled — bring forward beastly fanatacism, narrating a deep dive into the labyrinthine abyss of transgression, seeking rebirth under the light of a black sun.
The video we’re premiering for “In the Labyrinths of Sitra Achra” is itself also a wicked creation, and thus a fitting partner for the music. The lyrics follow the Left-Hand Path, the Way of the Dragon, extolling the she-demon Lilith, the angel of death Samael, the deity Baal, and other qlippoths on the Kabbalistic Tree of Death, including the spheres of A’arab Zaraq, Thagirion, Golachab, Satariel, Ghagiel, and Thaumiel, as well as the demonic power of Gha’agsheblah, and Daath, the union of all sefirot.
Video credits: Ritual footage by Totenkult; video montage by Audiopower Studio.
BLACK ALTAR Studio Lineup:
Shadow – vocals, bass
Necro – guitars
James Stewart – drums
Lars Broddesson – clean vocals
Drakonian Elitism was mixed and mastered by Dionysis Dimitrakos at Descent Studio (Athens) during the winter of 2022, and it features cover art by Daniele Valeriani.
Draconian Elitism was released by Odium Records on variant vinyl LP editions (including in a deluxe wooden box containing many other items), on cassette tape, and on 8-panel digipack CD. It’s also available as a digital download, and shirts can be acquired as well. See the links below.
We have also included the previously released video for another Black Altar song on the split, “Via Draconis” (The Way of the Dragon).
ORDER DRAKONIAN ELITISM:
https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ofermod-acherontas-black-altar-drakonian-elitism
https://odiumrex.com/webshop
ODIUM RECORDS:
https://www.odiumrex.com
https://www.facebook.com/odiumrex
https://www.instagram.com/odiumrecords
https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com
BLACK ALTAR:
https://www.black-altar-horde.com
https://www.facebook.com/blackaltar
https://www.instagram.com/blackaltarband