My endless search for the next great melodic black metal album often has me struggling to keep on top of recent releases, yet going back 30+ years there’s innumerable acts both great and small to uncover; some of these may have had a small discography and are long gone, but that makes them no less deserving of another look. Such is the case with Sweden’s Cardinal Sin. Their only release was a single EP in 1996 — Spiteful Intents — on Wrong Again Records, the same label that featured early releases from such bands as In Flames, Eucharist, and Naglfar (and later a little album titled None So Vile). 29 years after its release the EP is getting a reissue with some bonus tracks, taking us back to a time when the line between black and death metal was blurred and the melodic style of these subgenres was in its relative infancy.
Since this review is already centered around a band from the ’90s Swedish scene, I’m adding a postscript tribute to Sacramentum’s Nisse Karlén as his passing was announced on Monday.
Cardinal Sin was formed in 1995 by Dissection co-founder John Zwetsloot and previous Marduk members Jocke Göthberg and Devo Andersson. While the former was undoubtedly the most influential band in the development of melodic black metal I’m of the admittedly contrarian opinion that they’re on the whole overrated (Jon Nödtveidt’s non-musical “antics” aside), especially when it comes to the black part of that subgenre that would be done better by Sacramentum, Vinterland, and the like… more on that when my black metal 30-year anniversary posts begin later this year. Nonetheless, Cardinal Sin take things back a few years to the stepping stones laid early on the path of black and death metal by throwing in a surprising amount of thrash influence in their riffs.
Following a classical guitar intro — a Zwetsloot signature heard throughout Dissection’s debut The Somberlain, as well as his only contributions to Storm of the Light’s Bane released after his departure from the band — opener “Spiteful Intent” hits right away with a distinctly thrashy flavor, i.e. single power chords anchored by speedily picked open strings and a fast skank beat. As if to guide the listener through the evolution of thrash into black metal, the rhythm of the thrash riff transforms to become straight trem-picked and soon gives way to more technical and polyphonically-arranged melodic riffs that would characterize the best of the ’90s Swedish scene at this time. “Spiteful Intent” is easily the best track on the entire EP in the way the riffs progress and flow well into each other, but second bonus track “Ante Mortem” similarly throws together harmonizing melodic riffs in each guitar channel (as was the tendency of the Swedish scene at that time). Devo Andersson-written “Probe with a Quest” slows things down a bit with a main riff highly reminiscent of Megadeth’s “In My Darkest Hour,” later softening things up with an atmospheric passage of dueling guitar leads over a calm rhythm section.
Aside from the aforementioned “Ante Mortem” the three bonus tracks don’t add a whole lot to the entire experience, but as if you needed any more hints as to the lack of distinction between black and death metal at the time Cardinal Sin close out the reissue with a cover of Death’s “Infernal Death.” I was struck by how much it felt like early Bathory, the reimagined solo in particular; a testament to how the origins of these disparate genres were not too distinct from each other (to the extent that genre distinctions matter in the first place). The fact that this EP was released only nine years after Scream Bloody Gore is also pretty wild to think about in the grand scheme of how metal has developed and progressed as a genre… that’s the same amount of time from Starspawn to now. Spiteful Intents might not be the best release to have come out of Sweden in the ’90s, but will no doubt appeal to those like me seeking to complete the picture of how melodic black/death metal evolved in the first place.
— Colin
Spiteful Intents (Reissue) will be available August 29 on Regain Records. For more information on Cardinal Sin, good luck as they disbanded over 20 years ago.
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Nisse Karlén: 1974 – 2025
On Monday it was announced that Sacramentum frontman Nisse Karlén tragically took his own life at the age of 50 after dealing with mental health struggles. Anyone who has been following my writing here at Nine Circles knows how important Far Away from the Sun is to me, as I consider it not just the gold standard for melodic black metal but one of the greatest black metal albums of all time. Nisse Karlén played no small part in the creation of this masterpiece with his ferociously cold vocals, understated bass performance that served as the perfect counterpart to Anders Brolycke’s polyphonic melodies, and dark, mysterious lyrics that were the ultimate accompaniment to both the music and nocturnal realm conjured by Necrolord’s iconic album cover. That Karlén was only 20 years old at the time of recording was a testament to his prowess as a black metal artist, like so many others in the foundational years of the genre.
I had the privilege of seeing Sacramentum perform Far Away from the Sun in its entirety in Los Angeles last July, and despite being nearly 30 years from the release of the album Karlén, Brolycke and their supporting members killed it. The most essential aspect of the performance was the eerily theatrical stage presence of Karlen, in trve black metal fashion topped off with the pouring of fake blood on himself during classic track “Blood Shall Be Spilled.” No doubt I will have more to say about the legacy of Karlén and this album when it celebrates its 30th anniversary next May.
My thoughts are with Karlén’s family, friends, and bandmates at this time, and I want to thank the band for openly stating “suicide is never to be glorified” in their announcement of this terrible news. Always try to see your favorite bands, as you never know what the future holds. You are never alone, and you are important in your own way. Rest in peace Nisse Karlén, may the fog from beyond lift your soul and join it with the force of eternity.
This time my journey was forever / I knew there was no turning back / I had found the castle of myself / And I fell asleep far away from the sun
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