Review: Barshasketh ”Barshasketh” [W.T.C. Productions]

On the 15^th of January 2019, W.T.C Productions released a self-titled masterpiece unto the world:  Barshasketh.

This album surely represents the band having ‘found themselves’ in every way.  Lyrically, sonically and perhaps even spiritually… This album IS Barshasketh.

8 tracks of pure, undiluted and unashamed Barshasketh.  8 tracks, all of them ready to penetrate your psyche, feast on your energy and spit your lifeless, useless shell of a being back into the world.

Apparently Barshasketh is a conceptual album.  Based on the term ‘Be’er Schachat’ which loosely means ‘pit of corruption’. An idea that details you as a being moving through phases of life’s journey.  Destruction, Purification and adversarial rebirth.  Esoteric gnosis indeed.

From the very first riff, the whole 54 minutes of this album wavers on unparalleled excellence.  Not once do Barshasketh put a foot wrong, leave an idea unworked or have us scratching our heads.  Instead we have been blessed with a lesson in perfecting musical aggressiveness.  By mixing guitar riffs that explode with the heaviness of Death Metal and the nasty arpeggio work that comes from modern Back Metal, Barshasketh absolutely slays in every track.  An atmosphere built up by the menacing synth layers of MK.  Guitar and bass work by KG, GM and BB respectively, that is as sharp as any fuckin’ knife and drums, again handled by MK that are as exploratory as they are frantic.  Vocalist KG uses the typical style but they’re a great example of how to approach Black Metal correctly.  Grim, grainy and long reaching…  This album has, and is, what I desire from an all-out Black Metal onslaught turned masterpiece.

I happen to think that the mix and production of Barshasketh is particularly important because what Simon Wizen and Tore Stjerna have done in the Necromorbus Studio is nothing short of perfection.  Bass recording was handled separately at Chamber Studio by Graeme Young.  Between the two studios, they’ve nailed it down remarkably.  Every instrument can be heard as it was meant to be, not once did I need to strain to hear the bass guitar or lose sight of where even the most complicated of riffs were heading.

Barshasketh are touring for their new album right now and you can find these kings of Black Metal in all of the regular spots like Facebook and   Bandcamp – go and find their gigs, purchase their album and not least – pay tribute, kneeling in salutation as you do.