Now, a decade on from its beginnings, BARSHASKETH unleashes a new self-titled album, which is conceptually centered on Be’er Shachat, from which the band's name derives. This term roughly translates as "Pit of Corruption," a multifaceted esoteric idea concerning the self existing in a cyclical process that goes through phases of destruction, purification, and ultimate adversarial rebirth. Indeed, that conceptual arc poignantly and perfectly illustrates BARSHASKETH's evolution over the years, and finds its apotheosis within the winding corridors of BARSHASKETH. During its uniquely vast-yet-compact 54-minute runtime, the quartet are truly firing on all cylinders, exploring new territory with ambitious compositions and showcasing a certain percussive savagery previously unheard on previous recordings, all within the remit of pure, undiluted second-wave black metal. Much like its full-length predecessor, BARSHASKETH breathes the essence of the ancients whilst exuding a respectably modern aspect; this melding of mysticism and might evokes 1999 as surely as it does 2019. And also like the preceding Ophidian Henosis, BARSHASKETH's self-titled album was once again recorded at the esteemed Necromorbus Studio with Tore Stjerna, and its production suitably highlights the band's acute balance of aggression and atmosphere.
Not for nothing is BARSHASKETH's fourth album self-titled: truly, this is the purest distillation of the band's essence to date. A black sun rises at the dawn of 2019, and it bears the name BARSHASKETH!