Ensanguinate – Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below)
Release Date: 6th February 2026
Label: Soulseller Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Watain, Spirit Possession, Aura Noir, Ultra Silvam.
Review By: Aeons Burning
I love a good glow-up. I first listened to Ensanguinate back in 2022, and while their debut Eldritch Anatomy was solid, I haven’t really come back to it much. However, it’s rare when my opinion on a band changes drastically from the debut to the sophomore record, and man oh man did that happen for Ensanguinate, but in the best possible way. Death Saturnalia is such an improvement over Eldritch Anatomy, and really represents what Ensanguinate have to offer: relentless fiery fretwork and a thrashy attitude that channels excellence like Watain and Aura Noir. Death Saturnalia is riffs for days, and will kick you in the face until you fall to the ground, before kicking you some more for good measure.
After an intro that doesn’t do much other than set the stage, Angel of a Thousand Poisons takes this party and shifts it into fifth gear, with dual guitarists Jaka Črešnar and Andrej Čuk blasting off into the stratosphere from the word go. The best feature of Death Saturnalia is the guitar work, because Jaka and Andrej masterfully shift between the wild unpredictability of a contemporary like Ultra Silvam or Spirit Possession and the more structured blackened assault of Watain, especially on the highlight track Savage Hunger Far Beyond. This song could be labeled a spiritual successor to one of the greatest black metal songs ever written, Reaping Death, and I say this with the utmost respect: anyone who sounds like Watain in their Lawless Darkness era is an immensely talented musician. It’s jaw-dropping how locked in every member is on Death Saturnalia, because there’s never a moment where I think, “no, this should be done in a different way.” It’s not just short bursts of fury that Ensanguinate excel at, though, because they’re also fantastic at writing longer epics, as evidenced by The Whip and the Pendulum, a nine-minute track that is a total fist-pounder the entire way through, adding an organ at the end for good measure. This is a wonderful sophomore record, and Ensanguinate have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.
I’ve had an absolute blast listening to Death Saturnalia, and I think you will too. It’s fun, fierce, and will kick you in the face. This is the kind of riotous, raucous black metal I look for when I want no-frills, all fun, all riffs in my evil sounding music. The production also sounds sufficiently gritty, bringing a sound similar to Ultra Silvam’s most recent, and the cover art is done by the always talented Dávid Glomba. February is already looking stacked, and Ensanguinate are bringing the heat. Check out Death Saturnalia pronto, because you will regret it if you skip.
(4 / 5)
