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German doom metal act Shaytan may only have one release to their name at the time of writing, but they used to go by Demon Incarnate from 2010 to 2022 and released three albums in that time, so this is actually a well-established group of musicians we're dealing with here. Their past incarnation slipped under my radar simply because even I can't hear them all, so I don't know how Chapter One compares to that. I just know that it's a great friggin album.

Like many before them, Shaytan bow before the altars of classic doom acts like Candlemass, Pentagram, and Black Sabbath, standing out mostly because they are much better at it than most. You can hear the ancient roots of the fledgling sounds of doom from the '70s as well as the more well-defined works of the '80s, and it's all given modern life thanks to an authentically crispy, heavy production and the powerful, emotionally loaded vocals of Julian Küster. Sometimes, bands this old-school feel the need to do something more modern so they don't get accused of being wannabes or lazy, but Shaytan's fearless dedication to old-school doom is easily their biggest strength, and the erudition and skill they show on Chapter One tells me that this is a splendid new beginning every doom fan needs to track down.