SABBAT — The Dwelling (review)

Album · 1996 · Black Metal

5/5 · 2012-01-05
Doomster

(Originally written for Amazon.com and the Encylopedia Metallum.)

I'm not one to give out perfect reviews easily. On some of my earlier reviews on other review sites I just threw around perfect ratings and overexaggerated the albums - they're still good albums, but I gave them too much credit. However, I believe I am completely justified in giving a 5 star rating to Sabbat's 1996 release, "The Dwelling", because it is quite possibly the most mindblowing creation a human mind can craft together and make it absolutely without flaws.

Sabbat are a Japanese black metal/thrash metal band formed in the 1980's. They have released many albums in the longrun, but only a few studio albums, one of them being this one.

It's funny, really. Black metal is probably one of my least favorite subgenres of metal music but this still manages to be THE, not one of, THE greatest song I've ever heard.

"The Dwelling" consists of one 59 minute and 48 second song called "The Melody of Death Mask". The lyrics of this song are typical black metal, following the story of a Hannibal Lecter-esque character who commits a string of murders to serve his purpose, in his own twisted mind, as an "artist". The riffs are melancholy and sorrowful and fit the lyrics perfectly, as well as Gezol's harsh vocals which are vicious but not too loud like with other black metal bands. The solos are viking-like and ooze with sorrow and beauty. The higher pitched vocals may sound ridiculous at first, but are a major attribute to the darkness of this album. The drums aren't essential to enjoying this album but at times they can be truly wonderful, like the drum fills during the last 10 minutes or so.

The lyrics, while twisted, really bring out the imagination in the listener. There is some profanities thrown here and there, but it's not an all out F bomb fest like other black metal albums. Also, throughout some parts of the album the lyrics describe the killer's forsaken house with a "secret basement" which I found interesting. As one reviewer said, you could just simply mute any old horror movie and play "The Dwelling" in the background, and discover many horrors in the process.

As for highlights of the album, there is literally too many to name. EVERY riff and solo is good, and every melody delivers like no other. Some riffs might make you feel filthy or "sinful" given the low quality production, but that's all part of the experience.

The ending of "The Dwelling" is the greatest thing ever written. Not just in music - this climax to this song really is THE greatest thing my ears have had the pleasure of listening to. For every riff that leads up to the solo which leads to the same riff we didn't hear until the very beggining of the song, followed by the haunted, apocalyptic chanting which leads to the dripping sorrowful guitar which ends the song with the same sound as in the first few seconds, everything about it is simply chilling in it's melancholy intensity.

Finishing this album is like finishing a good book - you are unaware of your physical existence for a few seconds, because for the past few hours you're eyes have been locked to nothing but the text. The dazed state only takes a few seconds, and you look around you to make sure you're still in a physical state. Sure enough, you are.

That is exactly how this album will make you feel. The greatest song ever written. Listen to this now, and be completely swept away in it's sad, twisted, brutal and sorrowful hurricane of emotions which will guaranteed change the way you look at metal, or possibly even music in general. Hands down, one hundred percent, the greatest piece of artwork ever made.