Italian black metal act SAKAHITER will release their new album “Samnite Black Metal” on February 7th 2025 via Time To Kill Records.
Today, the band shares the album’s second single: watch the video for “Ver Sacrum” at THIS LOCATION.
The band commented:
“The last track of the album ‘Samnite Black Metal’ to be composed, ‘Ver Sacrum’ perfectly embodies the band’s current style.
The Ver Sacrum, meaning ‘Sacred Spring,’ was a social and religious ritual practiced by many ancient populations, including the Samnites. It involved relocating a part of the community to establish new colonies. Whenever the urban center reached its maximum demographic capacity, to ensure the community’s sustenance, all the harvests, animals, and human beings born in the following spring were consecrated to a deity. The first fruits were consumed in ritual meals, animals were sacrificed, and the children were from that moment raised as sacred, meaning protected by the gods. Once they reached adulthood and were fully equipped with weapons, they were compelled to migrate and found new settlements elsewhere. These new settlements were not always welcomed amicably, so they often had to face wars to seize the new lands.”
“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:
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
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