Release Date: July 12th 2024. Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Sacrifice Darkness And … Fire: Tracklisting
1.Sacrifice 05:54 video
2.The Moon Rises As The Immortals Gather
3.The Night That Came To Take You Away
4.Queen Zabo
5.Another Night Another Bite
6.Blood Of Evil
7.Electric Night
8.A New Day Rising
Members
Rachela Piras - Drums
Virginia Piras - Bass
Fabrizio Monni - Guitars/Vocals
Review
Sometimes you get a new album and know about 5 seconds in that you are about to be experiencing a damn masterpiece. Putting Black Capricorn's new record, Sacrifice Darkness and Fire, onto my stereo system felt just like that kind of some time. I was immediately immersed into a dark underworld and felt the air around me get thick and heavy, like I had entered a 4 dimension gravitational cave. The fuzzy deliciousness of the guitar grabbed me hard, and I knew I was going to be in for a beautifully horrific journey.
Black Capricorn is a supreme 3 piece doom band from Sardinia, Italy. They consist of vocalist and guitar player Kjxu (Fabrizio Monni), bassist Virginia Piras and Rachela Piras on drums. This is their latest effort on Majestic Mountain Records.
I know we throw "Album of the Year'' around pretty loosely but this is a top ten, nah, top 5 contender. Supremely heavy, Sacrifice Darkness and Fire stands like a monolithic stone temple in a dark forest, casting its shadow between the trees and into the landscape and deafening all within its reach with a sonic blanket of doom. This album is expertly crafted and recorded. Black Capricorn really throws their weight around on this album.
The first cut, Sacrifice, was the first single released and provided an excellent teaser. Sacrafice is doomy as fuck and sets the tone for the entire album. This is a compilation of dark and heavy songs telling a gripping tale. Fuzzy heavy guitars and deep semi-wet but clean vocals are prevalent throughout the release and they sound perfectly in place with the theme of the record.
The second song continues and almost plays like an extension of Sacrifice. Definitely its own entity, The moon rising...the Immortals watching...this tune is full of darkness and despair. Kjxu’s guitars are so heavy they threaten to take over the whole song but the vocals are relentless and balance the song, giving it soul. I like the feel that the guitar fills around the 2:38 mark create a siren like sound, portraying the impending doom for the innocent peasants who may soon be victims of a dark feeding.
The Night that Came to Take You Away continues to tell a tale of horror...dark rituals and spell casting. This tune brings some of the heaviest and fuzziest tones I've heard since Hastronaught's No Return. It also filled my head with classic horror images...witches, snakes and cow skulls in an ancient European forest setting with the darkness of the tree’s canopy surrounding fearful travellers...oppressive...wet dreary vocals act as a harbinger of impending doom. Then it hits...vampires. Blood sucking vampires. The song delivers. This song weighs a metric shit ton. The night that came to take you away…like an evil wraith created from fuzzy tones.
Then the Queen arrives to blow the album up. Here we have an energetic introduction to Queen Zabo, and she's majestic indeed. The powerful, swift and articulate Queen cuts through the air with authority. There is some desert rock goodness here, and this tune has that signature Swedish aggression that is in contrast to the previous jam's doomy feel. The fog and clouds have lifted and some starry light is reaching the forest floor. The setting has moved to a fierce, punch you in the face brutality. The red carpet has been placed for Queen Zabo and she rolls up melting faces and seizes the unsuspecting by their fuzzy balls. Relentless and unyielding...long live the Queen.
Another Night Another Bite is a rousing celebration of vampiric ritual. This jam feels like the monsters are celebrating and boasting of immortality. The guitar weaves into a dancing circle of monsters...gyrating bodies with bloody hands and mouths laugh over a pile of their victims. Again the heavy fuzzy guitars and bass create an oppressive and gray atmosphere...you can feel the moon moving between clouds and bats filling the air.
The next song, Blood of Evil, drives forward, finding yet another level of doomy weight. The vocals here are clear and darkly beautiful. Blood of Evil is full of crushing sorrow and perhaps remorse. This is dark. There is a Monolord-y feel here, perhaps. This song carries emotional weight and is one of my favorite tracks. Blood of Evil is so deliciously dreary. When I think of doom, this is the type of sound that instantly comes to mind.
Electric Night follows with a bang. There is a distinct tempo increase for this song. Electric indeed, this one explodes with faster desert tones and energy. The heavy blanket has been shugged off at least temporarily and Black Capricorn shows off some great songwriting here with lyrics you will sing along with and smokin guitars solos and driving energy. There is that wonderful desert rock sound here. Electric Night pulls you out of the doomy abyss for a moment and gets your head banging and feet stomping.
The album closes with the previously released A New Day Rising. The new day rises with a doomy beginning but quickly ascends into a ruckus driving ripper. A song that provides an interesting lift to what is mostly a very heavy doom record. The influence of Black Sabbath is most prevalent on this track, this is a song I could see Ozzy singing. Excellent driving rock and roll on this ripper. The song has a quick pace and is built for some serious headbanging. This song leaves me wanting more! That's how an album should end.
I'm blown away by this effort by Black Capricorn. There is no doubt in my mind this album will be in the discussion for album of the year. Sacrifice Darkness … And Fire is a standout effort from Black Capricorn that every stoner, doomer and low desert punk should listen to and consider purchasing.
The record has everything you could want in a doom album. Kjxu’s guitar work and tone on these tracks is absolutely wonderful. He plays a fuzzy, harsh and dark guitar style that is dripping with emotion. The bass and drums from the Piras duo are like clockwork. Every song is tight and not a second is wasted.The vocals provided by Kjxu are dark and heartfelt and semi-wet, damp. The tone and solid songs have created an unmistakably heavy underground classic. Every song is tight and not a second is wasted. The concept and theme of Sacrifice Darkness are exciting and command the listener’s attention. It's just fucking brilliant y'all. Buy this now if you still can!
Words by S Patrick Brooks
Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.
Sacrifice Darkness And … Fire will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Mountain Majestic Records from Friday July 12th 2024.
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