released February 4, 2022
All sounds 1-2 by Formless
All sounds 3-4 by Shadowsister.
“Sapientia Diaboli‘s “Upon the Hands of Liars” is an overpowering storm of dire and deadly sound. Driven by hyper-blasting drums and fueled by the insanity of shattering screams, the guitars and synths blaze like a celestial inferno, creating visions of cosmic apocalypse. “The Black Shroud” gives you a few seconds to gulp some air, and then the blistering percussion and the eye-popping sonic conflagration in the heavens resumes. Stunning stuff.
Despite the name of Dread Maw‘s “Lucifer, Noctife”, the song made me think of a musical rendering of some ancient demonic myth from Java. It may have something to do with the unusual tones and rhythms of the clattering and crashing percussion, which is cloaked in the abrasion of sinister chords and the corroded sheen of mystical synths. “Asael, The First To Fall” carries that primitive and exotically devilish atmosphere forward. The percussive accents are still riveting, the surrounding audio emanations still nightmarish, and the cacophonous vocals just as hideous as before. The music is somehow seductive, and paradoxically maybe even more frightening than the music of Sapientia Diaboli.“
- No Clean Singing
“This four-track split by Sapientia Diaboli and Dread Maw is an acute display of distinct raw black metal stylings. Like unto a good split, it presents a package greater than the sum of its parts by benefit of juxtaposition. And, like unto a walk in a winter storm, it requires a little preparation and perhaps even an advisory. In this arena, senses will be deadened. Frostburn is likely. Discomfort is all but guaranteed.”
- Sleeping Village Reviews
www.sleepingvillagereviews.com/reviews--premieres/sapientia-diaboli-dread-maw-we-were-put-on-this-earth-to-suffer-review
“Quick share of an intriguing proposition that just dropped via our friends at Snow Wolf Records, which certainly has a theme we can all relate to: 'We Were Put On This Earth To Suffer', a split between US solo raw black metal projects Sapientia Diaboli and Dread Maw. Providing two tracks apiece, Sapientia Diaboli's side - although tantalizingly short - is more of that streamlined and hammering orthodox glory that sole practitioner Formless vomited forth so delightfully well on last year's debut EP 'Black Is The Messenger. Black Is The Destiny.', whilst Dread Maw's offering is even shorter and conjures a madness that's somewhere between shuffling shamanic delirium and the industrialized machinations of an ancient, rattling, diabolical machine that could fall apart at any second... but not before it snuffs the life out of everyone you love under a billowing blanket of suffocating sulfuric ash.
Splits with contrasting yet complementary styles are the best splits. Featuring solid material from both sides that will definitely surprise and likely endear fans of each artist to the other, 'We Were Put On This Earth To Suffer' is undoubtedly one of those and leaves you keen to hear more. So, grab yourself a digital (full split available from Snow Wolf, respective sides from the respective artists) or limited cassette tape from any of the Bandcamps below and continue suffering. It is, after all, what we are here for.”
RATING: 3.7 / 5
- Black Metal Daily
"We Were Put On This Earth to Suffer is a split EP of bands Dread Maw (Kentucky) and Sapientia Diaboli, also somewhere in America… While Dread Maw are unheard of basement "raw black metal", so who likes to listen, Sapientia Diaboli in his two songs they sound very cool, offering a dark, dissonant, airtight but audible black:"
- Mehmet Metal Mayhem (Serbia)
“I feel this is a very great sounding split and I would recommend it to all fans of raw black metal. 8 out of 10.”
- Occult Black Metal Zine
