Sarpa unveils their new EP.
Created in 2018 in the United States by David Baxter (vocals/all instruments, ex-Plutonian Shore, ex-Škán, ex-Skrew), the project releases a first EP in 2020, quickly followed by an album the same year. We’ll have to wait until 2023 for the release of Mauta Tala, the second EP.
Arcane Rites – Tohu wa Bohu unveils a heavy and mystical atmosphere before finally letting a dark and soaring sound reach us and then turning into complex but massive riffs. Some keyboards come to give different tones to this oppressive and aggressive track, as well as the disturbing parts before Old School elements take over again, followed by this long and haunting final whichslowly guides us to Necropoleis of the Nebulous Deserts. The composition is quite short, but also very strange, coupling some melodies with eerie vocal samples and a disturbing atmosphere which will be broken by It Looms, the very long last track, on which the musician gradually gives life to his ethereal atmosphere. The most raw parts answer these airy sonorities tinted by a soft intriguing quietness, then saturation resurfaces to let the track end in chaos.
Sarpa has a singular universe, which couples aggressiveness, complexity and a soothing mystical calmness. With Mauta Tala, the band develops a surprising and soaring atmosphere which will surprise more than one.
75/100