PRESS RELEASE:
Italian black metal act SAKAHITER will release their new album "Samnite Black Metal" on February 7th 2025 via Time To Kill Records.
The first single "Hirpus" is now streaming HERE.
The band commented:
“This track is one of the songs from the new album that best encapsulates the band's evolution and journey from its inception to the present day.
The lyrics focus on the spirit animal used by the Samnites, in this case represented by the Wolf, which guided them in their quest for new lands.
The song represents a fusion of history and mythology. Here, the Wolf is portrayed as a kind of demon leading the Samnite armies to victory under the will and strength of Mamerte (Mars), the god of war, one of the deities worshipped by the Samnites. All the victims claimed by its fangs, followed by the army, serve as an offering to the gods, who in return grant them renewed strength. At the end of the battle, the statue of the goddess Kerres, the deity of birth, rises high, satisfied with the blood sacrifice. She bestows upon the people the gift of life, fertility, abundant harvests, and good omens under the protection of the gods”.
"Samnite Black Metal" delves into the dark and ancestral rites of the Samnites, an ancient warrior people of southern Italy. Each track plunges into a sonic abyss of primal fury, evoking the mysticism and brutality of their rituals tied to the forces of nature.
Its dark and powerful soundscapes embody the courage and rage of a people who fought to their last breath, invoking arcane deities and practicing ancient rites of war and sacrifice.
This is a sonic experience that fuses the brutal ferocity of death metal with the occult atmosphere of black metal. It dissolves the line between life and death, resurrecting the Samnites as lords of a lost world steeped in magic and darkness.
The album’s concept immerses the listener in archaic and forgotten mythologies, exploring themes of ancient mysticism, darkness, and a profound connection with the spirits of nature and malevolent forces. It draws on the Samnites' war rituals and sacrificial practices performed before battle to secure the favor of the gods. The atmosphere is intense and suffocating, with dark and sinister tones conjuring visions of shadowy forests, crumbling temples, and ancient rites.
Amid sharp guitars and relentless drumming, the call of dark gods resonates. The vocals narrate tales of rituals steeped in blood and fire, worshiping hidden deities nestled in the woods and mountains. The brutal soundscapes—driven by distorted guitars and vocals that alternate between guttural growls and piercing screams—mirror the ferocity of war and the mysticism of magical rites.
Raw, aggressive guitar riffs intertwine with atmospheric passages and evocative sounds. The drums echo like relentless war cries, while the vocals seem to emerge from the depths of shadowy forests and the heart of the mountains.
For fans of: Necrophobic, Unleashed, Naglfar
Tracklist:
1 Ver Sacrum
2 Cutilia (Sacred lake)
3 Hirpus
4 Kerres
5 (Rite of) Caereris Mundus
6 Lex Sacrata
7 Mors Vitam Vicit
8 Samnite Black Metal
9 Outro
Preorders:
https://timetokillrecords.com/collections/sakahiter-samnite-black-metal
https://sakahiter.bandcamp.com/album/samnite-black-metal
Biography:
The band was formed in Campobasso in 2002 under the name SAKAHITER, which in the Oscan language means “let it be sacrificed.”
More specifically, it referred to the sacrifices of men and animals to propitiate the gods before a battle, a ceremony deeply rooted among the Samnites. Oscan was chosen because it is the ancient language spoken by the Samnites, a warrior people originally from a restricted area of southern Italy centered in Molise, Campania, and Basilicata.
From the very beginning, SAKAHITER identified their genre as Samnite Black Metal, as both the lyrics and iconography reflect Samnite history.
In 2003, they released their first demo, “Lex Sacrata,” recorded in Rome at the Temple Of Noise Studios, using as the cover an 1879 engraving depicting the defeat of the Romans at the hands of the Samnites and the humiliation of the Caudine Forks.
After several live performances and some lineup changes, SAKAHITER recorded “Omnes Eiura Deos,” a 7-inch vinyl, again in Rome but this time at the 16th Cellar Studios, released in early 2005.
With a new lineup, in 2021, SAKAHITER signed a contract with Nova Era Records to release a new EP, “Legio Linteata,” and to reissue “Lex Sacrata.”
The band boasts numerous performances supporting acts such as Sodom, Dismember, Onslaught, Belphegor, Master and Necrodeath.
Line-up:
Hirpus - Vocals
Flauros - Guitars
Mamerte - Guitars
Hrim - Bass
Alastor - Drums
SAKAHITER
https://www.facebook.com/sakahiter/
https://www.instagram.com/sakahiter/
https://www.youtube.com/c/SakahiterSamniteBlackMetal
Time To Kill Records
https://timetokillrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/timetokillrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/timetokillrecords/
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