Anarchic

Skagos is an altar of life, crafted by living hands, guided by a living mind, in a world dead but ever dreaming. The band formed as a two-piece in 2007 in the depths of the Cascadian black metal scene, and put out their first three releases initially on cassette only. Ast, their debut album proper, was reissued on CD (and more recently, on vinyl) by NHR Records to great critical acclaim, with the Encyclopedia Metallum calling it an "atmospheric masterpiece." Now, Skagos presents their second full-length via Flenser Records. At more than 60 minutes, Anarchic is the result of three years of work and features two tracks, "Anarchic I-IV" and "Anarchic V-VII," made up of several movements. A rough version of the album was released online last year on Skagos' Bandcamp page and has since been expanded upon with more than 17 minutes of new music. Skagos showcases an expanded sound on Anarchic-developing on the style found on their split with Panopticon (The Flenser, 2010), they offset visceral guitars and gutted growls with ethereal and atmospheric instrumentation and folk elements, making for an engaging and dynamic listen. The band's complex lyrics address the death of the Earth and the renewal inherent in cyclical time.