{"id":1186182,"date":"2026-09-04T14:33:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1186182\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T14:33:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:33:19","slug":"review-shabti-haze-cacophony-and-white-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1186182\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Shabti – Haze, Cacophony, and White Light"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Vince<\/strong><\/a> on 2026\/09\/042026\/09\/04<\/p>\n

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Artwork by: Ibay Arifin<\/a><\/p>\n

Style: Progressive Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Melodic Black Metal (Harsh Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Death, Blood Incantation, Cynic, Atheist
Country: United States (ME)
Release date: 21 August 2026<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t been jumpscared by an album in a long time, but as I fired up Shabti<\/strong>\u2019s Haze, Cacophony, and White Light I found myself immediately besieged by the Maine trifecta\u2019s jagged, asymmetrical prog death assault. No buildup, no frilly symphonic intro or threat of incongruous atmospherics, just vocalist Rob Cook growling at me as he rips a tech-y lead and Ray Capizzo running roughshod over my mortal shell with pummeling double bass and staccato snare work. Brendan Hayter\u2019s bass adds extra heft to the death metal truck that rolled me under, so by the time we get to the midpoint of opener \u201cAmbrosia and Lamb\u2019s Blood\u201d, I\u2019m just starting to recover and get my bearings. Haze, Cacophony, and White Light indeed: I experienced all three of those within the first two minutes of hitting play. Granted, it didn\u2019t help that I unknowingly had my volume cranked to maximum, but regardless, Shabti<\/strong> waste little time kicking things off on their third album.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Which made the listening experience somewhat of a surprise when things winded down a bit on \u201cAmbrosia and Lamb\u2019s Blood\u201d, and suddenly I was being treated to a (comparatively) measured composition grounded by grooving basslines that refused to be unmoored by Capizzo\u2019s continuous percussive assault. Stretches of progressive instrumentation abound across Haze, Cacophony, and White Light, serving as brilliant musical rest stops between the general freneticism; flashy yet understated cymbal work (\u201cAmbrosia and Lamb\u2019s Blood\u201d), the searching riff that stretches across \u201cA Weary Creation\u201d, or the tremolo-infused doom-y segment on \u201cBlood for a Blessing.\u201d Across the board the instrumental performances are a delight, empowered by compositions that allow them to really sink in. Meanwhile, the mix \/ master job by Aaron Charles and Dan Lowndes ensures every element retains legibility and impact even when the music gets busy\u2014which it often does.<\/p>\n

Hayter\u2019s bass deserves special praise here. His buoyant, rolling tones are omnipresent across Haze, Cacophony, and White Light, and he anchors even the album\u2019s most chaotic moments with aplomb, locking in with Capizzo\u2019s kit and Cook\u2019s guitar with seamless fluidity. He\u2019s also given plenty of moments to shine on his own as well, taking center stage whenever the vocals drop out. Long has been the issue, across many a metal genre and subgenre alike, of the bass guitar being omitted from the mix, and I cannot express how pleased I am that Shabti<\/strong> refused to play victim to this entirely avoidable and self-inflicted trend. With much of Cook\u2019s guitar work taking on textural designs, the loss of Hayter\u2019s bass would have been a crippling blow to the momentum and flow of Haze, Cacophony, and White Light.<\/p>\n

Thankfully we don\u2019t have to worry, though without that I\u2019ve lost what could have been my only real criticism. I do wish that \u201cAmbrosia and Lamb\u2019s Blood\u201d opened with a bit more care. And I guess there\u2019s some bloat in the instrumental midsection of tracks like \u201cA Weary Creation\u201d. However, even if a particular riff gets played out a tad too long without much variation, or the over-loud snare starts to grate on extended sections, when the music is this good and consistently entertaining, I can\u2019t help but dismiss these as the smallest of nitpicks. Criticism for criticism\u2019s sake. Haze, Cacophony, and White Light is a fantastic slice of technical death metal, spiced up with invigorating progressive passages and a driving bass performance that makes sure there\u2019s plenty of substance within the noise.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: A Weary Creation, Blood for a Blessing, Rise of the Shabti
You may also like: Horrendous<\/a>, Tomb Mold, Miscreance, Overtoun<\/a>, Slugdge, Aenigmatum<\/a>
Final verdict: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Contemn Light Records<\/a><\/p>\n

Shabti<\/strong> is:
\u2013 Ray Capizzo (drums)
\u2013 Rob Cook (guitars, vocals)
\u2013 Brendan Hayter (bass)<\/p>\n

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