Review: “Coast II” by Sardonic Allegiance

Sardonic Allegiance was formed as a studio project back in 2009 by multi-instrumentalist Vasco “Triest” Lub and drummer Rick “Griendhakker” Lieffering (Fenris, The Darkest Red) with a vision for creating Black Metal in an epic way through the incorporation of melody and symphonic elements. Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands they released their first EP “Germania Inferior” a year later before entering hibernation. As if from out of nowhere, a sophomore adorned by artwork from Gustavo Sazes (Morbid Angel, Arch Enemy, Firewind) surfaced in April 2025 titled “Coast I“, its conjoined twin “Coast II” saved until January 2026. Combined the records offer forty five minutes of music said to embrace an ever encroaching darkness with a flair for dynamic story telling once more…

While Sardonic Allegiance are very much a Black Metal collective, their music isn’t for genre purists with modern production values and programming present from the very start of vicious opening track “Your God Now“. A powerhouse offering with that combines scalding vocals with spoken word to give the song the feel of an occult ritual, it also has a couple of masterfully executed tastefully sinister solos. There are a few Death Metal influences in this one in the main body of the guitar work however it doesn’t dilute the force bands main emphasis. Its clear within a few seconds that the drums are programmed on this one, the cymbal hits distinctively flat and without their natural volatility, the jackhammer footwork in overdrive throughout. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a means to an ends and works well here because there is so much else going on. Vocal layering is put to good use in a couple of places on the violent “The Curse of Recreancy” a heavy hitter with a couple of fleeting moments of Thrash thrown in for good measure. As the whole thing plays out at the tempo of the damned, neck snapping speed, there is still an epic quality to the melodies that surround the heavier parts with a gracious rise and fall captured. The vocals are of course caustic but the lyrics are perfectly clear, meaning you get the best of both worlds on that score. A sample gives a fleeting moment of respite as “My Rightful Ruination” takes shape, the track a sinister and malevolent affair that is soaked in rich dark melodies with a melancholic undertone. Powerful and foreboding, this one feels much more in line with the bands mission statement than the previous pairing, not that there is anything wrong with those at all. That brings us to the 10 minute surpassing “Prodigious Night (The Sorceress)” which concludes the affair with a divinity. Coral harmonies and whispers make way for Extreme Metal riffs at breakneck speed, rhythms and leads intertwining majestically and in all honesty its hard not to think about Cradle Of Filth in relation to this one. Sure it doesn’t have the shrill shrieks but it does have a similar storytelling style and sonically its a force of nature, the equivalent of a raging storm on the coast in the dead of night. A false ending is put to good use before one final verse, the beast rising from the black depths before fading to black [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Your God Now
2. The Curse of Recreancy
3. My Rightful Ruination
4. Prodigious Night (The Sorceress)

“Coast II” by Sardonic Allegiance is out 9th January 2026 and is available over at bandcamp