Description

2020 re-issue on black vinyl with bonus tracks

Originally going by the name Tumulus when they started out in late 1990, Nisse Karlen (bass/vocals), Anders Brolycke (guitar) and Nicklas Rudolfsson (drums) eventually made the transformation to Sacramentum after recording their Finis Malorum EP in 1992. Wanting to make their mark on the surrounding Swedish black metal scene, the band went back to the studio in 1995 to record their debut album Far Away From The Sun, which was released the following year. This album is way up there with the best black metal masterpieces such as De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Under The Sign Of The Black Mark, Dissection’s first two albums, and A Blaze In The Northern Sky. The album begins with Fog’s Kiss, which introduces the extremely bleak, fast, and melodic sound that Sacramentum manifests. This talented black metal trio did a stupendous job in creating such a dark and intense masterpiece. Far Away From The Sun sounds similar to Dissection’s first two albums, but, like I mentioned earlier, it sounds like Dissection’s sound taken to a higher level. The songs on Far Away From The Sun are much faster, darker, and the atmosphere sounds five times colder than anything by Dissection or any other melodic black metal band. Every song is full of so much heavy energy. Something that is even more impressive is only three musicians produced this album, and the album sounds ten times more powerful than any symphonic black metal band’s music, whereas those bands have more than four members. Only three men produced what would become the number one melodic black metal album, and their musicianship was fantastic. Nisse Karlen’s vocals sound very bestial and aggressive, as well as very echoey which sounded great against the sinister black metal guitars. Anders guitars play numerous amounts of incredible melodies, jumping from one amazing riff to the next. Nicklas Rudolfsson, as talented as he is on drums, seems to play so many different drumming styles through each song. It’s as if he’s trying to play every single drumming technique known to man. With these three musicians playing their parts at once, most people would feel as if they’re traveling through deserted, snowy mountains in the middle of a violent blizzard when they listen to this. There isn’t one filler track on Far Away From The Sun. Every single song manifests tons of darkness, chaos, and frozen atmosphere. Far Away From The Sun, The Vision and The Voice, and Beyond All Horizons were a few of the most melodic songs. The song Blood Shall Be Spilled demonstrated so much chaotic energy and heaviness, and is another highlight. The acoustic intro in Beyond All Horizons gave me so many chills and goosebumps as if I was traveling through a frozen wasteland far away from the sun, and the heaviness kicked in and made this song perfect. Overall, this album is most-likely the best melodic black metal album you could ever listen to, and one of the greatest black metal albums of all time. It’s highly unlikely that any other black metal album will top this masterpiece. Not even Sacramentum themselves topped this glorious work of art with their later releases. A must for fans of Dissection, Naglfar, Necrophobic, Watain.

Track listing:
1. Fogs Kiss
2. Far Away From The Sun
3. Blood Shall Be Spilled
4. When Night Surrounds Me
5. Cries From A Restless Soul
6. Obsolete Tears
7. Beyond All Horizons
8. The Vision And The Voice
9. Darkness Fall For Me
10. Awaken Chaos-demo 1996