Review SACRAMENTUM “The Coming of Chaos” (re-issue)

Sacramentum belong to the first wave of Swedish melodic death metal bands. Formed in 1990 as Tumulus, the band changed its name to Sacramentum in 1992. With roots in Falköping, the band is the brainchild of Nisse Karlén, who was joined by Anders Brolycke, and after drummer Nicklas Rudolfsson completed the band, the time was right to work on the debut album.

“Far Away from the Sun” hit the shelves in 1996, followed by the second release “The Coming of Chaos”. The latter was the first album to be released on Century Media Records and was recorded at Andy LaRocque’s Los Angered Recordings studio in Gothenburg. After releasing a third longplayer, the band disbanded.

The metal seismograph shows some activity at the Sacramentum camp again since 2019, which led to the reissue of the second album. The 2024 version of “The Coming of Chaos” is remixed and remastered by Dan Swanö. The album also features new artwork, which actually fits better than the original and it was Kristian Wåhlen (Dissection, Bathory, Edge Of Sanity”) who created the cover artwork for this re-release.

“The Coming of Chaos” has gained in intensity. The songs reveal their blackened brilliance through a very dense sound and a brutality that competes with melodic and atmospheric moments. The album is built on a mix of black- and death metal with some rabid blast like in “Burning Lust”, while the interlude-like “Abyss of Time” shows the dark cinematic aspect of Sacramentum.

“The Coming of Chaos” might not have gotten the attention it deserved back in the days, so it’s a great decision to re-release this blackened death metal hybrid, as the longplayer hasn’t lost any of its dark magic.