Sarpanitum The Agushaya Hymn
Self-released Demo 2003
By Russell Garwood
Sarpanitum are a British band formed from the remnants of the recently split
Trephined. The trio play black influenced near-brutal death, with occasional melodic touches. Dan Lowndes (
Imindian, Stillborn Decay) contributes programming, in the form of blast-heavy, crash driven drums, which could be more varied, yet dont sound overly programmed, while the guitars of Jack Galbraith and Andy Techakosit are a unforgiving. In the closing section of the second song on this demo, undistorted tones provide interesting respite, while the duos vocals tend towards guttural death growls, with occasional witch screams. The bass of Andy is somewhat lost under muddy production, which nevertheless suits the music well.
The Agushaya Hymn is a good effort for the debut demo of such a young band. The music is well performed, and there are some interesting ideas on display. The amalgamation of different styles shows individuality, and with some development this could set the band apart from the many other extreme metal bands on the market today. Hence, while their originality is not of the highest order,
Sarpanitum are far from a clone of any style, and fans of (brutal) death and concoctions of the more extreme metallic genres in general are likely to appreciate their sound.
Official Sarpanitum website
