''Black Shabbis'' is an album by multi-instrumentalist

Jamie Saft Jamie Saft is an American keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in New York City, and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private mu ...

which was released on the

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

label in 2009. The

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

album examines a number of

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

concepts and incidents throughout history.

Reception

In his review for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Thom Jurek notes that "''Black Shabbis'' is not for everybody, not even some Saft fans necessarily, but it is a powerful, excellent work that uses the metal genre well – expertly even – and will convince headbangers of its essential importance as one of the voices out there that stands tall and defiant in the face of much of the anti-Semitism that is promoted by some black and death metal bands. For everyone else, it is an angry howl of both pain and resistance whose anger is carried beautifully as the artist's ultimate weapon: his imagination and creativity to provoke, to give pause and reflection". Metal Reviews stated "''Black Shabbis'' takes in a range of styles, and taking into account the previous works of its creator it's difficult to know whether ''Black Shabbis'' is a serious attempt at making a metal record, or more a pastiche of the genre as a whole ... ''Black Shabbis'' has some good ideas, but it's an awkward, bitty album. Saft clearly has talent, but he's effectively crippled by a weird, overly dry production and a steadfast refusal to stick to any one idea. Still, there's hope here, and if Jamie Saft ever raises his game and makes a ''Black Shabbis II'' he might be on to a good thing. As it is, ''Black Shabbis'' is an interesting idea with a rather messy execution".metalreviews.com review
Retrieved February 21, 2018

Keith Kahn-Harris Keith Kahn-Harris is a sociologist and music critic. He is an honorary research fellow and senior lecturer at Birkbeck College and an associate fellow of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a lecturer at Leo Baeck College. He has publi ...

wrote that "''Black Shabbis'' is not the product of a metal band rooted in the metal scene, but of a one-off project that sets out to explore a particular aesthetic ... Saft is clearly a genius at wielding and manipulating the musical tools available in the metal armoury. Contrary to the stereotype of metal as a stock of banal clichés played by morons, metal has diversified enormously in the last three decades, creating a sophisticated and complex panopoly of sounds and possibilities. Saft shows no loyalty to any one style and the tracks skip radically between influences and sub-genres ... ''Black Shabbis'' will provide unnerving delights for anyone like me who is as obsessed with the possibilities of distorted guitar as they are with Jewish identity".

Track listing

All compositions by Jamie Saft # "Black Shabbis - The Trail of Libels" – 2:41 # "Blood" – 2:55 # "Serpent Seed" – 3:41 # " Der Judenstein (The Jewry Stone)" – 9:05 # "Army Girl" – 6:43 # "King of King of Kings" – 4:52 # "Kielce" – 13:53 # "Remember" (Lyrics by Vanessa Saft) – 6:36 # "The Ballad of

Leo Frank Leo Max Frank (April 17, 1884August 17, 1915) was an American factory superintendent who was convicted in 1913 of the murder of a 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan, in Atlanta, Georgia. His trial, conviction, and appeals attracted national at ...

" – 8:58

Personnel

– guitar, bass, vocals,

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, synthesizer,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

Trevor Dunn Trevor Roy Dunn (born January 30, 1968) is an American composer, bass guitarist, and double bassist. He came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. While performing with Mr. Bungle, Dunn would dress similar to the ...

– bass (tracks 2–7) * Mike Pride (tracks 2–7),

Bobby Previte Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began ...

(track 9), Dmitriy Shnaydman (tracks 4 & 8) – drums *Mr. Dorgon (track 7), Vanessa Saft (track 8) – vocals

References

{{Authority control Tzadik Records albums Jamie Saft albums 2009 albums