Review Summary: Even Crypt Sermon’s extras are essentials
Consisting of three songs cut from 2024’s The Stygian Rose along with a Mayhem cover, Saturnian Appendices feels more like an extension of that album rather than a leftovers EP. The style offers more of the same sharp epic doom that’s come to be the Crypt Sermon signature and the tracks sure as hell weren’t held back for quality reasons. Considering the band’s tendency to take their time between installments, I can’t argue with a quick turnaround that strikes while the iron is hot.
It’s pretty easy to imagine “Only Ash And Dust” and “A Fool To Believe” in particular fitting in on the album, each standing out for their swelling tempo shifts, busy riffs, and sweeping choruses. “Lachrymose” feels the most rooted in Candlemass and Paradise Lost inspirations, mired in a “Solitude”-esque trudge. The take on Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas,” having been previously done for a Decibel flexidisc, is an interesting way to fill things out but tastefully adapts the black metal composition to a doomier context.
Having taken themselves to the top of the modern doom echelon, it’s not too surprising that even Crypt Sermon’s extras feel like essential listening. As much as I appreciated The Stygian Rose’s relatively contained theatrics, it’s easy to wonder where a couple of these songs could’ve been included and how they could’ve impacted the overall flow. With the band’s affinity with Savatage having been known, consider this The Dungeons Are Calling to The Stygian Rose’s Sirens.
