SACRAMENTUM - FAR AWAY FROM THE SUN - ORIGINAL 2013 GERMAN IMPORT BLUE VINYL LP

	£		15
	$		20

SACRAMENTUM


FAR AWAY FROM THE SUN


THIS IS AN ORIGINAL 2013 FIRST PRESS GERMAN IMPORT SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION BLUE VINYL ALBUM ON THE CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS LABEL, THIS ALBUM IS BRAND NEW IN MINT UNPLAYED CONDITION. 100% GUARANTEED AND IN PERFECT CONDITION THROUGHOUT. SEE BELOW FOR TRACK LIST AND ALBUM CREDITS.


COLLECTORS INFO.. Special Limited Edition mail order pressing of only 200 copies on 180g blue vinyl worldwide. First time on vinyl for this highly-regarded 1996 album. Comes with a 24"x24" folded poster of the cover artwork and a 12"x12" insert with the lyrics and new sleeve notes by Terrorizer writer Olivier Badin.


TRACKS ARE AS FOLLOWS


SIDE ONE


1. FOG'S KISS
2. FAR AWAY FROM THE SUN
3. BLOOD SHALL BE SPILLED
4. WHEN NIGHT SURROUNDS ME


SIDE TWO


1. CRIES FROM A RESTLESS SOUL
2. OBSOLETE TEARS
3. BEYOND ALL HORIZONS
4. THE VISION AND THE VOICE
5. DARKNESS FALLS FOR ME


ALBUM CREDITS
 
An introduction is not unnecessary for these guys. Sacramentum have been grinding black metal from the early days along with the likes of Unanimated, Dissection, Decameron and Vinterland to name a few. What is so special about Far Away from the Sun? Let’s talk about that. From the very opening track ‘Fog’s Kiss’, Sacramentum blew me away with its perfect instrumentation. No useless intros, no gimmick, just straight up black / death metal armed with a warhead melodic enough to send me into a trance. From what I can hear on this record, the band made use of multiple layers of guitars and double lead solos here and there. However, these elements are never overused. So perfect the rhythmic arrangement that it leaves no breathing space in between except where your breath gets frozen in awe by their unprecedented guitar skills.With the help of Dan Swanö as their studio engineer, Anders Brolycke is able to manifest the flesh-ripping blizzard of Sweden’s coldest plains through his guitar riffs. Ever enchanting, the rhythm is more progressive than majority of black metal bands that played progressive chords element, but it is as brutal as Demonaz early touch in Pure Holocaust or Blizzard Beasts. 
On 2:29 mark is probably the best moment in ‘Fog’s Kiss’ right up to the end of the song. What I said about Brolycke earlier is evident on this part; melancholic chords played repeatedly as if you’re being administered with anaesthetics while your stomach is being cut open. Nevertheless, what you experienced is exactly the opposite; the anaesthetics are numbing your sense of time but it does not stop you from feeling the tremendous pain. The title track is yet another awesome song on this album. There are times where mid paced gained momentum, transporting you across the darkest realms in your own thoughts. The drums are very interesting to listen to. Perhaps Nicklas Rudolfsson is one of those underrated black metal drummers around. His style is ever changing but his drumming is not all over the place. He plays blast beats that sometimes alternates with the hi-hat as opposed to conventional bomb blasting technique where you hit the snare and hi hat in unison. A lot of the times Rudolfsson will employ funky blast beats (that’s what I called it) that for me are hell a lot more difficult than the constant blasting used by Flo Mounier. 
This is largely due to constant alternation between cymbals, toms and hi-hat that Rudolfsson played on this record. In essence, this guy beats every single drumming technique on this planet. Imagine ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’ on adrenaline with speed that is 6 times faster and played with different drumming styles but still retained the norms and values that make black / death metal for what it is. Blood Shall Be Spilled’ is yet another personal favourite of mine. It opens up mid-paced before nailing your head with the speed and aggression Sacramentum are known for in this album. Nisse Karlén sounded like the winter itself, spewing forth tons of snow from the blackened skies above. His vocals are of course reminiscent of Jon Nödtveidt and Micke Jansson, both of whom are my favourite as well. We have another series of Iron Maiden-esque guitars before Karlén chanted ‘Oh Lord, please take these sacrifices and grant us the strength and power... to do thine will’. 
Entering 2:58 into the song is just one of those beautiful parts from the whole album. It’s very hard to put in words but imagine yourself walking deep in the woods, surrounded by nothing but dead trees while you slowly levitate from the ground, watching the blood of sacrifices being spilled on the pale white snow beneath you. It is amazing that Sacramentum are able to sustain my interest after three songs without any interlude. ‘When Night Surrounds Me’ is also an excellent cut from this debut. It’s like these guys have more than enough melodies to be included in one single song. In fact, ‘When Night Surrounds Me’ has the most varied melodies from start to finish. There is a short acoustic break halfway through the song evocative of vast barren landscapes far north where ice is most deadly cold. Again, Karlén growls his way just perfect to paint the whole picture of desolation that longs for another violent deaths atop the mountains of crystalline snow. This is also strongly evident in ‘Cries of a Restless Soul’ where even more sorrowful melodies are conjured by the band. Personally I found this song to perfectly define melodic black / death metal as a whole. Yes I am that bold. While Storm of the Light’s Bane is known for its equally amazing craft bordering between sadness and malevolence, the song ‘Cries of a Restless Soul’ alone can devour that album in one sitting. 
No offense to Dissection fans because I’m also nuts for all things Dissection but to be honest, this track can outdo that record in terms of melody, speed, aggression and melancholy. It’s like a preamble of every other notable album in the genre including Ancient God of Evil; also a record I so highly treasured and proudly possessed.' Obsolete Tears’ never sounds obsolete even after a million listens. While this track has less melody than the previous highlight ‘Cries of a Restless Soul’, it does not deny the fact that this song has its healthy share of mischief just like the rest. It triumphs in terms of blast beats that become a staple in extreme metal genres. I envy Rudolfsson over his prowess to maintain long blast beats without fail. Shit this guy is awesome man just like Kvitrafn, Nicholas Barker and Steve Asheim. Like I said before, he has his own advantage over those drummers I mentioned here. After six songs of tearful heaviness, we have ‘Beyond All Horizons’, a song whose magnificence prevails beyond all horizons known to mankind and far away from the sun. Oceanic rumbles open the gates, only to let loose a chariot of acoustic sorrows that becomes a beacon of death for all. You have more dual leads in place but the pace is quite relaxed than most previous songs. The track then closes with a sigh of acoustic breath, finalising the seventh offering. 
‘The Vision and the Voice’ has somewhat a classical feel to it especially during the verse riff where Rudolfsson played rapid double bass on the kick drums with every peak note hit. The best part of this song begins from 2:54 where Brolycke plays some solos exclusively characteristic of Swedish melodic black metal. The last but not least, ‘Darkness Falls for Me / Far Away from the Sun Part II’ is highly reminiscent of The Somberlain opening riff. However, Sacramentum put more emphasis on deathly melody that makes the song rather tireless to listen to. Despite my initial protest over the band’s decision to include outro halfway through the song, over time I feel that it is somewhat appropriate. The tune is ever enchanting; kind of like bidding farewell to Sacramentum fans and say “We are gone but will never be forgotten”. Indeed they are never forgotten. In fact, it is because of ‘Far Away from the Sun’ that people like me remained enthusiastic about this record even after decades of its release. 
Why? Because real metal fans understand what it takes to make such a beautiful and memorable album what with its profound impact left a crater in each and every heart of us who by now have grown attached to Far Away from the Sun. It may not be the only best melodic black / death metal album out there but I personally lined this up with Ancient God of Evil; The Somberlain; Storm of the Light’s Bane; Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy); Welcome My Last Chapter; and For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike.
 
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