Sarke - Aruagint (2013)

The first two Sarke records gave me something that I never knew I needed but subconsciously probably always wanted: hearing Nocturno Culto's ghastly and gritty timbre in a context beyond Darkthrone. Now, Darkthrone is one of my favorite bands ever to exist in this plane of existence (there are others, and they hold up pretty well there too), and you could honestly be forgiven for hearing Aruagint or any of this project's other offerings and mistaking them for new works by that other band, who shifts styles around sometimes for consistent reinvention. I think Sarke has a much more accessible sound in general, a hybrid of black and doom and some simpler thrash metal with a super clean and almost minimalist production.

No, the atmosphere here doesn't come through the album's mix, as it does often with NC's mainstay. It's purely through the riffs, though they do add some synth or horn sounds. Sarke enables you to focus directly on the simpler, catchy guitar patterns and that voice, which is amazing at this slower pace. NC excels with some sustain to his growls, you can really feel them out and occasionally they get a little more gruesome, but if you're a fan of his from Darkthrone, then you're going to love records like this one just to have more. The lyrics are also really cool, with a simple but poignant poetry to them much like that other band, and written largely by Thomas 'Sarke' Berglie, the drummer for Khold and Tulus who is the heart and namesake of this project. His bass is quite memorable here, not for the lines so much but for the spongey tone you can hear buzzing alongside the bottom end, like a catfish feeding from the floor of your aquarium.

This is also one of two Sarke albums that Asgeir Mickelson performs on, and he makes it all sound so easy, with a steady, grooving rock style that's a bit simpler than what you've heard him pummel out on Borknagar or Spiral Architect. Everything here is cleanly written and executed, though there are couple super simple black & roll tracks like "Strange Pungent Odyssey" or "Jaunt of the Obsessed" which aren't among the catchiest they've put out. So this album doesn't quite achieve what Vorunah or Oldarhian did for me, but there are some heaters here like "Walls of Ru", "Salvation" (that bass!), the eerie yet warm "Skeleton Sand" and memorably, grooving "Icon Usurper" to compensate and keep this pretty essential if you enjoyed the first two, or Berglie's other bands that I mentioned above. Good riffs, mostly good songs, Nocturno Culto. You had me right there.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (Dragging shattered remains)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/