Black/death miscreants Shabti formed during a cold winter over a decade ago, calling upon current and former members of Falls of Rauros, Panopticon’s live lineup, Woods of Ypres, Thrawsunblat and Obsidian Tongue to join the band’s ranks. The vicious songs on their new album, Trembling and Shorn, take the melodic and atmospheric tendencies of the members’ other bands and twist it into something much darker and more aggressive.
The songs on Trembling and Shorn, like “Shrouded and Veiled,” which you can stream below, are relentless and technical offerings. The riffs heard on “Shrouded and Veiled” are dizzying, bookended by bursts of scathing black metal and a progressive interlude late in the song.
“‘Shrouded and Veiled’ is the first single from Shabti’s upcoming album, Trembling and Shorn,” guitarist/vocalist Rob Cook tells Decibel. “I selected this track because I feel that it is a strong representation of the scope of this project: white knuckled aggression, technical proficiency, dynamic song structures and occasional glimpses of epic vistas through the seething ugliness. Lyrically it is a condemnation of the hubris of self-described religious martyrs seeking recognition among the flock. The concept of creating a catastrophe to ‘save’ people from it is also alluded to. Sharp criticisms of human vanity and religion are core to the concept of Shabti, perhaps not novel material but still as valid today as they ever were.
“We played this song live for a year or two before we fully fleshed out the solo/interlude that comes before the final riff. I have enjoyed watching this song develop organically over time.”
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Listen to “Shrouded and Veiled” below. You can also pre-order the record via Shabti.
