Genoa, Italy's Sator have clawed their way out of a black cloud of misery in order to unleash their second album, Ordeal. This one strikes with a hammer in both fists, delivering a harsh and heavy sludge/doom combo that's ready to ruin you. Every riff seems to be played through gritted teeth, pushing through pent up aggression but pounded out steadily and without mercy. These run over staggering rhythms that pull the sound together to make a savage groove. The album has a sort of a bare-knuckle bleakness to it. You'll hear songs that brood with anguish as they ring out slow and painful ("Sky Burial") but also tunes that thunder forward, threatening and driven ("Soulride"). A slight psychedelic influence also trickles in through the guitar leads - they're sorrowful, but dabble with the discordant and trippy. The music can be brutal, but listening to the vocals is like standing in a fiery whirlwind - it's a violent howling sound all around you that's fueled by an unquenchable fury. Feedback shrieks throughout the album too, filling the gaps and keeping you on edge. It ends in chants from a choir and a haze of whining amplifiers as though it's attempting to cling to life, but has simply expended itself. Ordeal is doomy, ferocious, and probably exactly what you need in your life so get it in your ears already! -Brandon
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