Shograath - Carving the Sigil in the Realm of Man
Born in bloodshed, Shograath and Drugoth inspire victory and triumph in the face of war. The Australian Black Metal duo bring the storm with axes wielding. From the nether, they plead empowerment and confidence; indeed, they are battle hardened, defeat is not an option and their style of Black Metal reflects that. Shograath and Drugoth are True Udûn Black Metal, and if you do not know what that means by now, then there is a catalogue of Drugoth releases just waiting for you here DRUGOTH
Drugoth’s 2023 release Battles May Cease but War is Forever was universally lauded, hitting many of the top 10 lists, and it made this one 2023 - TOP TEN. There could be no Shograath and there could be no Drugoth without each other. Shograath is responsible for the deep, deathly and thunderous back up vocals and roars on Drugoth's Battles May Cease but War is Forever, and he also records the guitars. Carving the Sigil in the Realm of Man is Shograath’s release, a 20 minute EP (3 tracks) that does the opposite vocally; it is Drugoth that is providing the back up vocals, yet in the same style as the Drugoth releases. Carving the Sigil in the Realm of Man forms a great accompanying piece to Battles...... in a storytelling sense, lyrics often interchange between the two releases and they play very well back-to-back, but they are different beasts - their swords are sharpened just a little differently.
Carving the Sigil in the Realm of Man chops you down to your knees immediately; you are under the command of Shograath via a charging onslaught of riffs and Drugoth’s drumming. You are on their battlefield early, hearing their drums of war as they release the charging wargs upon you. The primal riffs have their own teeth and they draw blood and there are many of them - they are truly unchained, yet also very catchy. Drugoth's drumming is superb. He is one of the best extreme metal drummers going around today. The drums are not flashy (and certainly not overproduced) but they do not need to be when they are so creative and catchy - they fit the guitars and vocals perfectly and it sounds just so damn cool.
With Carving the Sigil in the Realm of Man, there is an added bit of heft to the sonic atmosphere compared to Battles…..; and that may initially come across due to the vocals, but there is something else lurking there - maybe you could call it spite or callousness.
Rip their fucking throats out with your teeth!
Throw their guts in the mire!
We are legion, fuck you all!
It’s often the little things that stand out, the deft touches, a change or variation to a riff or a vocal, or how a verse is delivered. Take for example, the opening to Death Reign, which is also the chorus (clever).
Death incarnate
The breath of darkness
Sword of bloodshed
Shield of war
Shograath delivers this twice by himself and then Drugoth joins him for the next two repetitions. It is this type of songwriting and delivery that separates the good from the great. The first time we hear Drugoth is 42 seconds into the opener Sworn by Blood and it is a fantastic vile echo of just one lyric:
War! and the second being chaos.
After the first chorus, Drugoth delivers a classic ‘urgh’ grunt, and it is difficult to describe just why it sounds so cool, you just have to hear it. Coming straight out of the track's second chorus, every second repetition of the riff has a slight chainsaw twist at the end that gives it extra menace.
The opening to the title track has a layer of what sounds like distorted bass with the strings ready to fall off the fretboard, while simultaneously being plucked by the sharp and jagged teeth of a warg. The last 2 minutes of the EP is pure genius before Drugoth and Shograath get their Hailz! It sounds like they are having so much fun with this, but fun should not be confused with seriousness or authenticity, because Shograath and Drugoth take their art very seriously, and it is the authenticity that currently unites so many bands in the Australian Extreme Metal scene. It is an exciting time Down Under.
Shograath's songwriting structure is not complex, it is quite traditional. Each track has verses and choruses. There is variation and changes in the delivery though, but it is the structures that work well – Drugoth does it as well with his releases. This structure allows each instrument and musician enough space to accentuate their strengths. Ross Robinson once said that a song needs to have a catchy chorus, and repetition is a key ingredient in making a song catchy. Shograath and Drugoth do both very well, and it may not even be a vocal chorus – the riffs are equally infectious in isolation, especially on the 7:48 minute title track.
Unless you are coming straight out of an Under a Funeral Moon session, then Carving the Sigil in the Realm of Man needs a few listens to get your ears in the game and your head in the battle. This is mainly because of its primal and raw production; but once you are inside it, then it is 20 minutes that you will want to play on repeat, over and over again. The length is the one negative here. The listener can be left wanting a heap more – yet this EP is just the introduction to Shograath’s side of the marvellous musical universe that is True Udûn Black Metal.
Incredible 20 minute EP - and a deserved new entry into the Rolling Top Ten of 2024.
Cover art by the amazing Matt Priso - instagram @sik_abyss