Description

Black vinyl with gatefold cover. 20th anniversary edition of this compilation album

1994 marked Sabbats 10th anniversary and to celebrate this appropriately, they decided to release two compilation albums of re-recorded rare and unreleased material. Well both Black Up Your Soul… and …For Satan and Sacrifice features these rare materials and each five songs from their albums, it’s a kind of best-of included. It’s something I find rather weird with the compilations, they like have put together two halfs of different releases on two different ones, like the …To Praise the Sabbatical Queen one, where it was live tracks probably forming a live album instead of already released studio material. Still, the real meat of the release is most solid. The first two tracks are in fact two combined songs, which really sounds as one. Both songs making up the first part seem like they were originally instrumental tracks as it takes some time until the guys actually sing. Along The Egg of Dapple, a slower, almost doomy track, the following material sound slightly different in production, not too bothersome since most sound better. So after some sound effects and keyboards, the black thrashin’ begins. Being old songs taken from their first eps and not played by guitarist Temis Osmond but Elizaveat, it sounds a little different than what Sabbat played at the time and more akin to Envenom material. It’s a lot thrashier and Temis’ style of riffing, particularly the leads, aren’t much present. The rhythm riffs Elizaveat played – and plays for this recording along the then current guitarist – were still Sabbat sounding though, Temis didn’t invent everything. His soloing style was more heavy metal as some of the riffs in Mion’s Hill. Speaking of their eponymous ep’s side b, it is present in a version 7 minutes longer, featuring solo battles from both guitarists and additional leads making the song even more epic than it normally is. The compilation also features an exclusive early Sabbat track Immortality of the Soul which seem to have been recorded at a different session, it only has been re-released once as a rehearsal version on Hamaguri Resurrection. Overall it’s Sabbat’s thrashier side taking place with a lot of solos. Gideon is a never before heard track, which some parts have been used for The Dwelling’s only song. The release also features a cover the Satan classic, Kiss of Death. It sounds great, almost sabbatical at times, so it’s a welcomed addition. The recording sounds rather weak at moments, particularly the thin guitars which sometimes bury the bass. Well the sound is particularly weak on the first two tracks and on Acid Angel, the tracks seem to be from four or five different recordings. The sound is not essentially different, mostly the guitar tone and the bass. Because of the production, depending on the songs, the atmosphere comes from the riffs themselves and vocals themselves than anything else. For Satan And Sacrifice is your typical Sabbat thing, most solid black/thrash metal with a dark and gloomy atmosphere. The songs show Sabbat were really good in their early days, and those re-recordings were welcomed with open arms as the original ones were somewhat lacking and this album is a lot more easy to get hold of than their early eps.

Track listing:
1. Witchs Mill / Curdle The Blood
2. Satanic Rites / Crest Of Satan
3. The Egg Of Dapple
4. Acid Angel
5. Kiss Of Satan-Satan cover
6. Immortality Of The Soul
7. Gideon
8. Mions Hill-10th Gezol version)
9. Sodoomed / Disembody To The Abyss