Rou Sartegos has been running his one-man project SARTEGOS since 2010 hidden deep in the Spanish underground scene. He has since then released a couple of demos, a couple of splits, and an EP. And this year, his debut album "O Sangue de Noite" which literally translates to "The Blood of the Night" was released via Blood Harvest Records.

The album has ten tracks, with a total runtime of 42 minutes of classic Black Metal sound. The tracks take obvious influences from MAYHEM and IMMORTAL, with insertions of some DARK FUNERAL chops every once in a while. Having said that, you'll know what to expect: down-tuned mid pace to fast pace riffs, relentless tremolo picking, a beefy bass sound and a crushing barrage of drums. The layer of vocals is also deliberately under produced to catch that old school vibe.

The songs "Sangue e Noite" and "As Devesas som dos Lobos" are standouts for their relentlessness and menacing atmospheres. While tracks "Baphomet no Rashulmat" and "Solpor dos Misterios" did good enough, they are not there to impress. Meanwhile, an instrumental track called "Jugular" stood in the middle of the album to maybe serve as a mood stabilizer. It is atmospheric enough, but what it did wrong is that it cut off the momentum buildup created by the first three songs and hangs in there like a mere spacer. One more thing in this album that many might not like is the monotonous attack on vocals. It's all growls - no screams or anything else. Occasional choirs are inserted in between some verses but does not really change a thing about the songs.

Overall, it was a decent release. The instrumental production is on a high level, and the songwriting is fine. The only issues that might sprout is its memorability because it's a really tough album to digest and might take you several repeats to finally appreciate it - but once you get its point, it's completely worth your time.