Sargeist return with an EP that promises more of the same but with an even more digital production style and less original content than a tribute band.
This band continues its tradition of relying on obvious Black metal riffs taken from other bands and then simplifying them to the point where one can hum them without much thought. Riffs are short minor scale melodies that are strummed and often fall into Rock territory especially on “To Feast on Astral Blood” which drags on for over seven minutes with its elongated Rock parts. The best riffs are stunted takes from the first two Emperor records and show some potential before dissipating without doing much.
Arrangements progress within variations of these simple riffs that barely modulate their similar motifs while changing the rhythmic pattern to either single note tremolo picked lines, fast strumming and Rock Strumming. The lead guitar carries the melodies while the rhythm guitar lazily strums the chord progression. The band will repeat their ideas multiple times and then transition to the next one in a linear fashion. There is no need for repetition as all these riffs are virtually identical. There are no variations in tension or discernible highlights within these songs resulting in a sort of étude around a theme for children with electric guitars. Songs start and then end randomly without much indication.
While there is a rare decent riff from time to time, there is absolutely no reason to listen to this except if you need a nap. Avoid at all costs as this is the definition of being bad without any comedic value, just forgettable.