apanthropy

Ensanguinate
Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below)
Soulseller Records
To Be Released: February 6th, 2026

Rating: 9/10

“There are moments that rival the intensity of early Marduk or Antaeus, delivered through tempos and percussive batteries in line with everything from Aura Noir to Necrophobic, merging contrast similar to Funeral Mist or current-era Deathspell Omega. No longer the thrashing black metal of ‘Eldritch Anatomy,’ but something more amplified and focused, something philosophical and spiritual. It’s not blind fury or ‘riffs per minute’ writing, but something deliberate, and at times, restrained, but wholly violent in execution. Every note forms into a caustic riff and each riff moves with perfect fluidity, summoning ancient influences, perverse melodies wrapping around like barbed wire, engineering each song into a unique, engaging, and powerful experience. Leads scream from the abyss with reverb-drenched tone that’s more fitting for 1970’s rock, showing a band that can incorporate extended solos into their work in a manner that nearly changes the context of the song, signaling high level musicality. It’s a stunning display of riff-forward black metal, easily one of the best of the winter season.”

–
1 – Lámia
2 – Angel of a Thousand Poisons
3 – On Wings of Bone
4 – Rooted in Accursed Ground
5 – Savage Hunger Far Beyond
6 – Gloaming
7 – The Whip and the Pendulum
8 – Daughter to Cain
–

Evolution, for the most part, is needed for credible survival after a band releases their debut record. It doesn’t have to be intense or a complete change in sound, it just needs to signal that the band has an actual arc, a trajectory, some direction its intending on traveling. It is part of the greater story being told under the band’s banner. One where each piece of their discography is a marked example of regression or evolution.

Ensanguinate hail from Slovenia, the black death of Ljubljana. Formed in 2020, the band released their debut demo in the summer of that same year, entitled Entranced by Decay. 2022 would be the striking point for their debut full-length, Eldritch Anatomy. February 6th, 2026, will see their sophomore effort being released, Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below), given unto the world like a violence-inducing plague. The new record is an evolution for Ensanguinate, one that sees them with a new rhythm section, a more intense and direct compositional focus, and riff crafting that is amongst some of the strongest in the modern black metal scene. Eight new songs at 42 minutes of new material, this is not to be overlooked.

There are moments that rival the intensity of early Marduk or Antaeus, delivered through tempos and percussive batteries in line with everything from Aura Noir to Necrophobic, merging contrast similar to Funeral Mist or current-era Deathspell Omega. No longer the thrashing black metal of Eldritch Anatomy, but something more amplified and focused, something philosophical and spiritual. It’s not blind fury or ‘riffs per minute’ writing, but something deliberate, and at times, restrained, but wholly violent in execution. Every note forms into a caustic riff and each riff moves with perfect fluidity, summoning ancient influences, perverse melodies wrapping around like barbed wire, engineering each song into a unique, engaging, and powerful experience. Leads scream from the abyss with reverb-drenched tone that’s more fitting for 1970’s rock, showing a band that can incorporate extended solos into their work in a manner that nearly changes the context of the song, signaling high level musicality. It’s a stunning display of riff-forward black metal, easily one of the best of the winter season.

A brief intro, ‘Lámia,’ feeds into ‘Angel of a Thousand Poisons,’ a torrential force of grinding single-note melodies and blasting drums. Angular and dissonant riffs in the early section of the song feed into thrash metal-style breaks and grinding chord hell, producing a sheer wall of churning sound. At about three minutes into the song, the pacing shifts dramatically into an almost occult rock stance, it builds and builds until it resolves into a stunning extended solo, with ghostly scale runs and bends that howl like wolves, employing licks and flourishes akin to the old days of hard rock and classic early heavy metal. The metronomic quarter note beat of the snare at the early part of the solo feels trance-inducing, ritualistic. The solo dances with invocation and fire, moving from measure to measure with seamless perfection, it reaches a state of almost strangulating fury towards the end as the song returns to its chaotic central foundation.

The hammer-on heavy single-note grinding that is prominent throughout ‘On Wings of Bone’ bows in reverence to the old black thrash gods. Power chords strike in rhythmic movements, underscored by punching staccato bass drums, creating texture to the riffs, adding volume to the overall delivery of the track. Another wailing solo manifests towards the end of the song.

The center of the album is nearly ten unbroken minutes of pure fury.

‘Rooted in Accursed Ground’ wails like a demented specter, merging anxiety-inducing single note movements with torrential waves of blast beats. A dancing double melody leads into a slower atmospheric bridge before focusing on a central motif. From there, the track descends into a violent mix of melody and rhythm-oriented executions, moving into various tempos and meters, invoking black thrash movements, and coloring them with dissonance and perverted harmonic flourishes.

‘Savage Hunger Far Beyond’ is the pinnacle of audio violence induced by Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below). A chromatic power chord riff feeds into a crescendo of string rakes, invoking a horror-like atmosphere, before exploding into a pure murderous sonic rage. The level of barbarity on open display during the opening measures of the song is violence inspiring. It’s a simple combination of riff and rhythm, but it comes together in such a stark, colorless, murderous manner. It’s music that makes you want to tear another human into pieces.

Towards the end of the record is the nine-minute-long depraved opus, ‘The Whip and the Pendulum,’ which features some very tasteful lead guitar work at the beginning of the song that whips up echo-soaked waves of long, bluesy bends. When the song is focused on its delivery, it becomes very reminiscent of the destructive nature of ‘Savage Hunger Far Beyond,’ when it focuses on its atmosphere, it leads to a blend of the two that creates a long-form chaotic mix. It becomes a flurry of riffs and machine-gun execution of drumming madness. Riff structures and knife-stab flourishes of melodic detail highlight the old-school influence exhibited over the compositions, while an extended bridge of clean guitars and cryptic distorted volume swells feed into blaring organ, creating an atmospheric crescendo of sorts.

There is no relief anywhere on Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below), even the closing track, ‘Daughter to Cain,’ is an explosive display of ripping black thrash, one last assault on the senses before the record terminates. The shift in tonality towards the middle of the track, where the song sets itself up in an almost traditional display of heavy metal, really shows off how effortlessly Ensanguinate can dictate atmospheric presence within a single song. It can go from a suffocating onslaught on the human senses, to an almost trippy breakdown full of gorgeous atmosphere, back into murderous fury, with no strange interchanges or bad resolutions.

The production on Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below) nods to the older way of thinking when it comes to mix and volume. Guitars, which the entire record absolutely revolves around, are powerful and somewhat ghostly. There is just enough of a touch of reverb to them to make them feel otherworldly but grounded in power and presence. The tone on the lead work is a very vintage signal, somewhat dry, but possessing immense character that cuts through the mix and blazes like a burning star. Drums are boisterous and powerful, with great restraint on the snare and a powerful punch for the bass drums. Bass is deep and rich, adding gravity to the rhythm-centric delivery the album sometimes resorts to. Vocals are a modern take on the old ways of black metal, mixed well, never overcrowding, and never annoying.

Overall, this is a marvelous display of modern black metal for the Slovenians. One of the premiere albums of the winter season and one that deserves a listen throughout the extreme metal community. This marks a powerful evolution from debut to sophomore effort that many bands can’t and won’t match. At times, a stark display of blasting black metal, and other times a whip striking frenzy of blackened thrash, but throughout the entirety of Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below) there is a true attempt to engage with the listener, through the riff and through the emotion. Captivating atmospheres, murderous intent, and violent execution, a powerful display of blasting black metal and a show of force from Ensanguinate, this one demands to be heard by the true.

Label: Soulseller Records
Band: Ensanguinate

AJK