Artwork by: Ibay Arifin

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

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I haven’t been jumpscared by an album in a long time, but as I fired up Shabti’s Haze, Cacophony, and White Light I found myself immediately besieged by the Maine trifecta’s 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’s bass adds extra heft to the death metal truck that rolled me under, so by the time we get to the midpoint of opener “Ambrosia and Lamb’s Blood”, I’m 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’t help that I unknowingly had my volume cranked to maximum, but regardless, Shabti waste little time kicking things off on their third album.

Which made the listening experience somewhat of a surprise when things winded down a bit on “Ambrosia and Lamb’s Blood”, and suddenly I was being treated to a (comparatively) measured composition grounded by grooving basslines that refused to be unmoored by Capizzo’s 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 (“Ambrosia and Lamb’s Blood”), the searching riff that stretches across “A Weary Creation”, or the tremolo-infused doom-y segment on “Blood for a Blessing.” 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—which it often does.

Hayter’s bass deserves special praise here. His buoyant, rolling tones are omnipresent across Haze, Cacophony, and White Light, and he anchors even the album’s most chaotic moments with aplomb, locking in with Capizzo’s kit and Cook’s guitar with seamless fluidity. He’s 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 refused to play victim to this entirely avoidable and self-inflicted trend. With much of Cook’s guitar work taking on textural designs, the loss of Hayter’s bass would have been a crippling blow to the momentum and flow of Haze, Cacophony, and White Light.

Thankfully we don’t have to worry, though without that I’ve lost what could have been my only real criticism. I do wish that “Ambrosia and Lamb’s Blood” opened with a bit more care. And I guess there’s some bloat in the instrumental midsection of tracks like “A Weary Creation”. 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’t help but dismiss these as the smallest of nitpicks. Criticism for criticism’s 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’s plenty of substance within the noise.

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

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Contemn Light Records

Shabti is:
– Ray Capizzo (drums)
– Rob Cook (guitars, vocals)
– Brendan Hayter (bass)