Obliveon Online Magazine

SANITY
Title: THE BEAST (EP)
Label: OWN/DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION
Playing time: 17:39 minutes
Release: March 2, 2024
The German metal band SANITY was founded in the heart of Berlin in the mid-90s and has been active again since 2013 after a long break. In total, they have released three longplayers and one EP in that time.
The new short player “The Beast” is the second part of a cycle about the Revelation of John, the last book of the Bible. All lyrics are original quotes from the Book of Books. The first part was the EP with the simple title “Revelation” released last year.

SANITY, behind which stands the visionary duo Philipp (drums, backing vocals) and Florian Weishaupt (vocals), create a breathtaking, slightly chaotic, exciting and extreme symphonic/melodic black/death metal mix against the dramatic, prophetic backdrop of revelation.

Thundering blast beats, sawing guitar riffs and the grandeur of lush orchestrations collide and form a lively, dynamic soundscape bursting with energy and tension.

The vocals of the two singers range from deep, growling growls to nasty black metal screams to the heights of clear melodic lines, the versatile singing ranges from heroic Viking choirs to rousing power metal-like tones.

The opener `Kingdom´ brings these trademarks together perfectly and convinces with a balanced, harmonious mix and appropriate transitions as well as a successful chorus. The other tracks don't manage this so well in my eyes or ears, they don't seem quite as harmonious, rather a little hectic and overloaded.

`Plagues´, for example, contains a little "too much of everything", but above all a lot of theatricality in the clean vocal passages. In the mighty `Babylon´, the "Fallen is Babylon" choirs stand out with a lot of pathos and passion, while the final `Gospel´ is the shortest song on the disc at under three minutes, in which ultra-fast parts, frenzy, yelling and growls alternate with calm piano sounds, which features a wild guitar solo and establishes itself in second place among my favorites of the four pieces.

All in all, an exciting, challenging disc with sophisticated songs and lyrics, an interesting topic, well implemented, but sometimes a little restless, rushed and overloaded. Fans of unusual, extreme sounds with a classical touch and a penchant for new things should still give it a listen.

Michael Gaspar gives it 6.5 out of 10 points