Spirit of Purity

Sanctifica, one of the stalwart icons of Christian black metal, seem to hold a place in the unblack pantheon alongside similar bands such as Antestor, Crimson Moonlight, and Admonish.

Playing a heady mix of death metal riffing combined with "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk"-era Emperor, Sanctifica come off less brutal than Crimson Moonlight, and heavier/less folky sounding than Admonish. The keyboards are directly reminiscent of middle-period Emperor, while the vocals are a mix between Dissection and Crimson Moonlight. Vocals are a mix of growls and raspy screams a la Ihsahn.

For me, it's not my thing, but it is indeed a worthwhile disc. Everything here is well-played, and it's obvious these guys know their instruments inside and out. However, I was never into the sound that Emperor pulled off on "Anthems...", and here it's the same thing for me. It's fast, it's good, but it lacks something that I can't quite put my finger on. The melodic death metal riffing is well-done, but it just doesn't grab me. Not for a black metal release anyways.

If I feel like fuller-sounding melodic black metal, I'll take Admonish's "Isnarjd" over this anyday. But if melodic black/death is your thing, I'm sure you can't go wrong with this one - if you can find it that is.