Our Sangria speaks the language of the continental masses of Earth's crust clashing against one another. Such is the sonic power of Sangria's way of building up colossal doom-sludge metal since its inception back in 2003.
The Sangria trio hails from Santiago, from the great heavy and super-heavy underground scene of Chile. The trio involves Osvaldo Oss Frías on bass and vocals, Carlos Seitan Frías on guitar and vocals and Pablo Benavides on drums. Sangria is one of the great bands related to the cool underground production label Proyecto Sepulcro (Electrozombies, Hielo Negro, Bicefalo, Circulo de Barabbas, Budasses, etc.), which stands out for the care and the impressive quality of its limited-edition releases both for the sound and graphical aspects. One of the earlier releases of Proyecto Sepulcro was the debut album by Sangria, Renaces de la Miseria (2009), which was rapidly sold out. The new album by Sangria, Agnosis, was finished already late last year. There were quite a few of us outside Chile who bombed band members and folks at Proyecto Sepulcro for being sure, this time, of grabbing a solid copy of the release. But some bad luck and mishappenings with labels for distribution hampered the release. Hopefully the band can finalize an agreement with labels soon for worldwide spreading, and get this new amazing album out as soon as possible.
Agnosis, or better “agnosia”, is indicated as a pathological state characterized by loss of the ability to recognize objects or interpret sensorial stimulation by sounds or images. But you will never find random clicks or casual minimalistic noise when Sangria are involved! The title of the album is obviously provocative. It is probably to relate to the highly critical attitude towards society and especially towards some disturbing aspects of politics and dominant religion(s) adopted by the band and revealed in Sangria’s lyrics. Like and probably even more than in Renaces de la Miseria, album Agnosis is a treatise on catastrophic and funereal sludge/doom-death built up via slow-paced, crushingly downtuned and distorted riffs, bleak atmospheres and abyssal vocals. Something appealing for those who are into bands like Corrupted, Thou, Moloch, Yob, Conan, Fuoco Fatuo, Disembowelment, Shadow of the Torturer, Whitehorse or Funeral Moth. Differently from what often seen/heard in doom-sludge bands, the tracks in Agnosis are rather short, with lengths almost never exceeding 6 minutes. There is no over repetition of refrains in these tracks even if I personally would love to be overwhelmed by these sounds even more. However the relative brevity of the tracks have the effect of turning them into a relentless charge of blows in your gutter.
The opener Ritualista is lead by a majestic, plodding rhythm of authentic funeral doom in the vein of Tyranny where Osvaldo’s raw and torn vocals roar their occult chant and fight to emerge over the slow, colossal riffs. Funeral doom features also dominate long tracks like Agnosis and, where, however, the band employs some minor but effective tempo changes for pumping further energy to the war-like march. In various tracks, like for example Cegados, Catarsis, Pestilencia, Culto Al Odio etc., the band often speeds up and destroys everything with the pulverizing effects of the rolling mammoth riffs. Catarsis and Pestilencia in particular are small jewels where the band is able to merge funeral doom, filthy sludge groove as well as death metal aggression in barely 3 minutes. These killer tracks occupy the central part of the album, together with the super-tight aggression of Culto Al Odio and Seminal Inhumacion, where the minor tempo changes do not enlighten the relentless pressure induced by extremely heavy, magmatic riffs. This is pure South American version of Conan’s “caveman battle doom”! But in this “fast” and overly aggressive core of the album there are also “pills” of funeral doom (like Averno) of crushing impact but able to restore the somehow dark ethereal atmospheres of the occult, ritualistic onset of the album.
In tracks Agnosis and Pestilencia the double vocals create a confused echo that makes the chanting even more painful and suffocating, but in Pestilencia the second singer, Carlos, is overlapping some extremely low growling thereby turning the chanting into frankly sepulchral. Trance Mortuorio, the longest track of the album (6:29), cannot but close album Agnosis by means of a reprise of the funereal lithany that started the rituals. This dark ballad is majestic and highly atmospheric not only for the slowness of the reverbered riffs but also for the echoing double vocals which vary from Yob-like to ultra-funeral until everything dies out into pure silence.
Stunning …
1.Ritualista
2. Cegados
3. Agnosis
4. Catarsis
5. Pestilencia
6. Averno
7. Culto al Odio
8. Seminal Inhumación
9. Trance Mortuorio
You can listen to a track from Agnosis on the Bandcamp page devoted to the album HERE.
Track Culto Al Odio and a raw live version of Ritualista can be appreciated on Youtube.
HERE and HERE.
Keep the Facebook page of the band and of Proyecto Sepulcro checked for updates.
While waiting for getting hold of the new album via a solid agreement with a label, you can get hold of the previous, crushing album by Sangria, Renaces de la Miseria, which has been generously shared by the band for free download on Bandcamp HERE.
Words: Marilena Moroni
Sangria @ Facebook
Proyecto Sepulcro @ Facebook
Proyecto Sepulcro @ Official Website