The point of a demo isn’t to create much of an atmosphere or to plumb every nook and cranny of a band’s sound. Its job is simply to present what a band can do and imply more and better things--in other words, a demonstration. That’s why these first twelve minutes of Saarkoth’s recorded output are so exciting. Hailing from Sheffield, UK, they cite Emperor, Winterfylleth, and Agalloch as influences, all prominent black metal bands with minor-to-major folk influences, all known for their attention to detail and vaunted ability to conjure moods and atmospheres. This isn’t name-dropping for the sake of association. Saarkoth mean it.
At only two tracks, there’s no point in talking about track ordering or anything of the like, but “Awake in Eternal Sleep” is inarguably a great place to begin. The production is expectedly lo-fi, both for the atmospheric black metal Saarkoth play and for a demo, and so isn’t much of an issue. The song immediately envelops the listener in forlorn riffage and a classic, galloping rhythm, leading us across familiar terrain: forlorn melodies grapple with Bathory-esque riffing before the song transitions into a midsection of haunted clean guitar, where the band’s Emperor makes a prominent showing. It’s pretty, and drums aside, it’s the sort of thing you could imagine echoing down the corridors of a forgotten castle in the wilderness sometime in the night; and the traces of violin (or, at least, another mournful stringed instrument) reinforce this impression. The electric guitar returns with an interpretation of that same funereal melody, guiding us toward the song’s emotional conclusion.
“Beyond the Horizon” begins more immediately, and sees the band in more garrulous form all around: the riffs come denser and more frequently, delivering a tasty, recurring groove at 0:27. It’s not quite a chorus, but it provides structure to a series of interesting riff variations, and an irresistible moment of headbanging. As with “Awake in Eternal Sleep,” you can expect a gentle melodic interlude, this time adorned with distant vocalizations rather than violin (?); similarly, it finds its way back to the abrasive electric guitar and the vocalist’s spectral rasps, which, at certain points, are layered with muffled groans to elicit a mood of helpless suffering. This isn’t quite the case lyrically, however. Saarkoth take after Agalloch and Winterfylleth in more than one way, foregrounding a pagan adoration for nature and mostly sublimating traditional black metal nihilism. Sure, there’s a bit of it there on the cautionary zombie tale of “Awake In Eternal Sleep” (“My mind is awake / yet my body dead / I cannot rest / Doomed to walk the Earth”), but it’s countered by “Beyond the Horizon,” which personifies the sun as a benevolent entity and ends in a repeated, cathartic chant of, “A vision of light / A vision of love / The feeling of warmth / Upon your fair skin,” the last couple of lines subbed out with “fading away / beyond the horizon” for a wistful touch.
What problems Saarkoth’s demo may exhibit are more easily chalked up to it being a demo than to any fault of the band’s. At only two songs, it’s a brief listen with some recording issues--”Awake In Eternal Sleep” sounds a little abbreviated, as if there may have once been more to follow (although that may simply be the song at work on my imagination; after all, it is a song about things gone wrong)--and however emotionally impactful, I wonder if “Beyond the Horizon” could have had a more memorable ending. But these are minor gripes at best, and as I noted from the start, there’s a lot of promise and room to grow. Like fellow UK-ers Winterfylleth, Saarkoth have a knack for this style of atmospheric black metal that will lead to some excellent work in the future if they can continue to build on this confident, well-rounded beginning.
-Brian L.
At only two tracks, there’s no point in talking about track ordering or anything of the like, but “Awake in Eternal Sleep” is inarguably a great place to begin. The production is expectedly lo-fi, both for the atmospheric black metal Saarkoth play and for a demo, and so isn’t much of an issue. The song immediately envelops the listener in forlorn riffage and a classic, galloping rhythm, leading us across familiar terrain: forlorn melodies grapple with Bathory-esque riffing before the song transitions into a midsection of haunted clean guitar, where the band’s Emperor makes a prominent showing. It’s pretty, and drums aside, it’s the sort of thing you could imagine echoing down the corridors of a forgotten castle in the wilderness sometime in the night; and the traces of violin (or, at least, another mournful stringed instrument) reinforce this impression. The electric guitar returns with an interpretation of that same funereal melody, guiding us toward the song’s emotional conclusion.
“Beyond the Horizon” begins more immediately, and sees the band in more garrulous form all around: the riffs come denser and more frequently, delivering a tasty, recurring groove at 0:27. It’s not quite a chorus, but it provides structure to a series of interesting riff variations, and an irresistible moment of headbanging. As with “Awake in Eternal Sleep,” you can expect a gentle melodic interlude, this time adorned with distant vocalizations rather than violin (?); similarly, it finds its way back to the abrasive electric guitar and the vocalist’s spectral rasps, which, at certain points, are layered with muffled groans to elicit a mood of helpless suffering. This isn’t quite the case lyrically, however. Saarkoth take after Agalloch and Winterfylleth in more than one way, foregrounding a pagan adoration for nature and mostly sublimating traditional black metal nihilism. Sure, there’s a bit of it there on the cautionary zombie tale of “Awake In Eternal Sleep” (“My mind is awake / yet my body dead / I cannot rest / Doomed to walk the Earth”), but it’s countered by “Beyond the Horizon,” which personifies the sun as a benevolent entity and ends in a repeated, cathartic chant of, “A vision of light / A vision of love / The feeling of warmth / Upon your fair skin,” the last couple of lines subbed out with “fading away / beyond the horizon” for a wistful touch.
What problems Saarkoth’s demo may exhibit are more easily chalked up to it being a demo than to any fault of the band’s. At only two songs, it’s a brief listen with some recording issues--”Awake In Eternal Sleep” sounds a little abbreviated, as if there may have once been more to follow (although that may simply be the song at work on my imagination; after all, it is a song about things gone wrong)--and however emotionally impactful, I wonder if “Beyond the Horizon” could have had a more memorable ending. But these are minor gripes at best, and as I noted from the start, there’s a lot of promise and room to grow. Like fellow UK-ers Winterfylleth, Saarkoth have a knack for this style of atmospheric black metal that will lead to some excellent work in the future if they can continue to build on this confident, well-rounded beginning.
-Brian L.
Archival details
- Original URL
- https://metallifestyle.weebly.com/metal-lifestyle/review-saarkoth-demo-2017
- Recovery source
- live-weebly
- Recovery date
- 2026-07-22
- Stewardship polish
- 2026-07-22
- Preservation status
- restored
- Missing assets
- None recorded
Preserved by Bloodsoaked Media · The Archives