Artist: Sataras Belzebulba
Country: Czechia
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital Demo
Year: 2026
You should do yourselves a favour and check out this band’s pictures before reading further or listening to this demo. Of course I am not sure whether we’re looking at the same picture, but while some people might find this laughing matter the first thing that came to my mind is that this could’ve been a lost picture of Master’s Hammer, Törr, Root or any other of those magical bands out of former Czechoslovakia. It might be me, but I am pretty sure that these guys are actually paying homage to that rather quirky and fascinating metal history of their native Czechia.
On a musical level, though, Sataras Belzebulba isn’t necessarily close to either of those aforementioned trendsetters. But on the other hand, it’s also quite clear that these lads do things a little differently than average, which in a sense is exactly the same as how those bands pushed boundaries – at least according to Western standards of Extreme Metal.
With a somewhat spacey and at the same time medieval-sounding ambient intro, you are initially misled, because when these sounds fade away, it turns into excellent, almost regressive Black Metal with strong Punk intentions. With hordes of new and mostly young bands, this sort of music is slowly but surely gaining in general appreciation. Most of them are based on the musical heritage of Ildjarn and its direct followers like Vordr, Akitsa and Bone Awl. With raw and repetitive riffs and a strong connection to some folky elements, mostly present in the acoustic strumming parts, Sataras Belzebulba is no exception to that trend. Yet, what does set this band apart from the majority of the bands who venture in these musical realms is that Sataras Belzebulba is far more “musical”. Which means that behind and underneath the raw and raucous riffs and simple song structures, there’s actually a whole world of exceptionally strong riffs. Perhaps that is where these guys’ experience in other bands shine through, most notably Mörghuul, the Black/Thrash Metal band that’s currently signed to Doomentia Records. But although it is often the case that when good musicians venture into genres where their talent is more of a curse than a blessing, because the music is based primarily on primitive energy and feeling rather than finesse and well-thought-out songs, Sataras Belzebulba is an example of how to combine the best of both worlds. In short: an excellent start for these young fellows.
