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Review: Ensanguinate - Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below) (2026)

Ensanguinate’s Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below) (8/10). This Slovenian black/death metal release delivers savage riffs, relentless intensity, and a dark occult atmosphere. Read the full review!

Kevin

Kevin

— 3 min read
Review: Ensanguinate - Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below) (2026)

Band: Ensanguinate
Album: Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below)
Genre: Black/Death Metal
Country: Slovenia
Label: Soulseller Records
Released: February 6, 2026

Introduction:

Slovenian black metal occultists, Ensanguinate are back at it again with a blasphemous new release, Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below) on Soulseller Records.

Ensanguinate

It is always fun to discover a new band that I've never heard of yet and decide to give them a try. It reminds me of the good old days when I would go to the record store, pick up a random album of a band, and try it out just because the album art looked awesome. With Ensanguinate, I am glad I made this decision. It exceeded my expectations, and I have had it in constant rotation since my first listen, delving ever deeper into the music and the band.

Tracklisting:

  1. Lámia
  2. Angel of a Thousand Poisons
  3. On Wings of Bone
  4. Rooted in Accursed Ground
  5. Savage Hunger Far Beyond
  6. Gloaming
  7. The Whip and the Pendulum
  8. Daughter to Cain

    9. The album starts out with a beautiful piece, Lámia and then, shifting gears, starts ripping the soul apart with reverb-saturated guitar riffs and blast-beating manifestos of Angel of a Thousand Poisons. It is definitely an onslaught from here on out, showing no sense of mercy for the listener to take a break.

    Ensanguinate crafts black and death metal wonderfully with this album as a whole. The production was fairly mixed, and the instruments are all shined throughout its entirety. My favorite part of this album is the guitar tone and how it sounds throughout. Jake and Andrej show their thrash metal roots in this album with the thrashy melodic riffs and blistering solos. The sound of their guitars are literally from the pits of Hell with just the right amount of reverb.

    Going into my favorite tracks on this album, Angel of a Thousand Poisons, Rooted in Accursed Ground, Savage Hunger Far Beyond, and The Whip and the Pendulum all showcase the savage blast beats and ravaging guitar hooks I crave in blackened death metal making the sound of this album unique and not overbearing.

    Conclusion:

    I look forward to more material from Ensanguinate as time marches forward. They have a unique sound and that's what drew me into listening to this band from the start. There are so many blackened death metal bands that Ensanguinate are akin to, but if you ask this me, for any of you that like early Morbid Angel, early Deicide, or even early Behemoth as they were crossing from traditional black metal to death metal, this is surely the band for you!

    BMZ Rating: 8/10

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