Album Review: Celestial Sanctuary - Insatiable Thirst For Torment
Reviewed by Dan Phipps
Now with all due respect East Anglia is not an area where you think of as a hotbed of death metal in the United Kingdom, however it is the residence of one of the genres most highly regarded up and coming bands and that band go by the name of Celestial Sanctuary. The 4 piece who have really been seeing their name and brand of death metal thrive over the last 6-8 months on a much higher level which is culminating in a brand new record titled Insatiable Thirst for Torment.
Insatiable Thirst for Torment collects 8 tracks of groove filled old school style death metal and Celestial Sanctuary if you have seen them live you will know they are an incredibly tight set of musicians. Along with creating this slab of death metal the band also handle the production on the record and the band take minimal time in getting you acquainted to their creative songwriting as 'Trapped within the Rank Membrane' is a track which twists and turns throughout and is a fantastic opening to the record.
Taking control of the production and mixing can be a risky task but the band have really got a great understanding of how they need and want their creation to sound. The guitars sound nice and sharp, the drums have fantastic punch and this creates a massively thick slab of music. The albums high point is the incredibly viscous track 'Swivel Eyed and Gurning in the Shadows' with this track Insatiable Thirst for Torment showcases its most intense offering. The drums have a far more brutal vibe to them and the riffs are just electric. If I'm being completely honest, as good a record as this is, I would have enjoyed this album a lot more had there been more tracks like this. The album is very groove heavy and the groove is all good and played extremely well but some more intensity within the record would for me push it onto another level.
Solid groove, excellent creativity and musicianship is exactly what you will find within Insatiable Thirst for Torment. As much as the old school sound could start getting overcrowded with copycat bands, Celestial Sanctuary shows you that as long as you have that creative spark the music will speak for itself and anyone who is a fan of the old school sound should find this record very enjoyable.
