Doom isn’t super common to the Scandinavian region, an area that produces a bulk of the world’s extreme metal. But thank Lucifer Sahg came into being despite this demographic discrepancy. A change of pace for King ov Hell, bassist for projects like Gorgoroth, God Seed, Abbath, Ov Hell, and I, all black metal projects, Sahg is surprisingly resonant and limber. (Also featured on the album is Einar Selvik of the dark folk project Wardruna.)
Sahg is a hazy, clean-vocal doom band that expounds upon the original darkness and psychedelia of the genre in a manner that pays tribute to and updates Black Sabbath’s Paranoid. Doom quickly became one of my favorite subgenres (perhaps only second to black metal) due to its atmospheric focus and attention to tone not commonly seen in other subgenres.
The opener of the band’s debut I, “Repent,” is dramatic and cathartic, with fantastic melody and simplistic beauty. “The Executioner Undead” picks the pace up to the tripleted swing-pattern common for the up-beat end of the doom metal spectrum. The guitar-work from Iverson and Tofthagen is textural and expressive in the subtle manner that conveys the breadth of emotion found in genres such as blues and folk music. And Iverson’s voice is a rich timbre appropriate for such an emotive tapestry, whether it’s navigating the foggier passages of songs like “Godless Faith” or baring devilish menace in brisker songs like “Soul Exile.”
