Sapfhier - Under Eternally Grey Skies CD Review

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2004-02-17 : Beowulf
SAPFHIER is a one man project of Lord Aganaroth out of Sweden. This is the 2nd release from this band. The music is done in a very low raw sounding Black Metal style. There is a strong war like feel & it's very atmospheric as well. The music is very solid & technical sounding also. This is a very impressive release from one highly talented musician. Give this guy some respect & check out this release!!!
2004-02-13 : Black Plague Records : Link
SAPFHIER - Under Eternally Grey Skies
It has been a while since I have heard this much development and care for songwriting from a 1 man black metal band and it has made "Under Eternally Grey Skies" a musical monument to what the genre could become with more gifted artists at the helm. The synth orchestration and how it interacts with the music in a separate layer from the guitars creates a very engrossing canvas of atmosphere. To sound a bit theatrical for a moment, I really could envision myself lost in a moon lit fog while listening to this album. A bit of fear of the unknown haunts my every step, but I'm somehow captivated and drawn further into the landscapes before me as Sapfhier's brilliant use of melody empowers traditional metal solo work and very emotive riff ideas that are dripping with a crisp sense of hook laden melody. From the most steadfast of mid-tempo progressions that literally suck me in with hypnotic strands of melody much in the same way a really good Burzum song could remove my mind from this plane of existence, to faster eruptions of vengeful speed, Sapfhier never loses sight of melody and weaves each song full of layers and interesting turns. There is no formula that bogs down the direction of the music, as each track stands as a unique entity hurled deeper into despair with a grating vocal snarl leading the charge, always offering something of substance to inspire visions within the listener. Excellent drum programming and a warm production fuels the ambiance of "Under Eternally Grey Skies", a come from nowhere album that rekindles my appreciation for symphonic black metal with just enough of an underground feel to keep it obscure. With this CD and a poorly circulated demo to his credit, will the Swedish entity Sapfhier maintain this elevated style of writing, or try to push into some newer avenues of blackened exploration on his next release? There is no way of predicting the future of artists this secure in their songwriting ability, but you can be certain that the outcome will be yet another opus to uphold. - Marty / WORM GEAR MAGAZINE