Band: Sarpa
Album: Solivagus
Label: Self-Release
Genre: Black Metal
One man band Sarpa (David Baxter) is a cluster of different influences all wrapped up into one furious package. While Baxter tends to steer more towards the black metal lane, the sounds of progressive rock, OSDM, thrash and even some Latin rhythms can be heard throughout the album as well.
The record, Solivagus, is set to be released on the 5th of June through his Bandcamp page (linked at the end). It's seven tracks of audio bending experimental black metal, weighing in at 48 minutes. The opener, "Cleanse," lends itself as to be a kind of introduction to the sound of Sarpa. Track two, "Triad of Might," is where we hear Baxter really hit his groove with some excellent tremolo picking and dissonant chords. Unusual progressions abound as well, still managing to find a natural fit in his sound. The atmosphere created by the single piano notes in the background make for a haunting feeling. The use of acoustic guitars is put to splendid use, providing a folk-like feeling to the track as well.
What's most striking to me on the record as a whole is the excellent usage of the toms for longer passages, rather than just using them for fills. On "Predacious Dimensions," Baxter utilizes the toms to really fill out the entire sound of the track. This is accompanied by stellar orchestration of the guitar passages, with some of the more unique riffs I heard on Solivagus. The track ends with a solo acoustic guitar fading into the distance.
The definition of the word solivagus is essentially to wander alone, which is quite fitting for this venture as the entire project feels extremely personal. I've not heard anything quite like the tunes Sarpa has crafted for us on Solivagus. It's refined, yet still feels quite raw in an emotional sense. In any case, it's a bleak landscape that Baxter presents, and he's not planning on this being his only release as Sarpa.
I'm giving Solivagus a 7.5/10