Angrrsth / Czort - W czeluść

ANGRRSTH / CZORT - W czeluść (Split CD GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

When I first saw the announcement of Angrrsth / Czort "W czeluść" split CD I immediately thought that this has to be a highly anticipated album. And one of the better releases coming this year from Godz ov War (but let's not forget about Under the Sign of Garazel Productions, who co-released this CD). It's not an exaggeration, because both bands have left incredibly good impression with releases such as "Donikąd" and "Apostoł". These albums are even more worthy for me, because I am not a great fan of most of the current black metal coming from Poland - too many bands simply annoy me to give a fuck about them. But both Angrrsth and Czort are great, so this is why I was so eager to hear this split. And well, I am not disappointed at all. 

Angrrsth comes first, with two songs "Pętla" and "Przerwana" (these titles will again give a headache to all non-Polish listeners haha but hey, we also had to suffer when reading titles such as "Niðr ok Norðr liggr Helvegr" or "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." haha). And I cannot decide, which of these two songs I like more, they are both so damn good. Everything about Angrrsth music is brilliant, I think, from great riffs (the second minute of "Pętla" is just killerrrrr!!!), nice combination of fast black metal and more melodic, sometimes almost bombastic black metal. Arrangements on these two songs are fantastic, Angrrsth will not allow you to feel bored, so much interesting stuff is going on here... And I don't mean just the tempo changes, it's not that easy. Great and diverse vocal lines (including a bit of clean male vocal lines) is one of the most noteworthy things here, I really like that aspect of Angrrsth music. But there more nice details thrown within these songs, which makes them so fascinating and capturing. Also, it's really cool how catchy and memorable these songs, despite the obvious viciousness and aggression, which characterizes this style of music. Finally, the production on this material is great. Obviously, long gone are times, when most of the black metal releases sounded like recorded in the deep arse-hole of the devil himself, nowadays you could get a great sound easily and without much money involved. But the production of this Angrrsth material is brutal and fierce, perfectly suiting the music. 

When compared to Angrrsth’s “modern” black metal, Czort music sounds much more traditional, both in its approach and sound. In my opinion, it's not as good too, but that doesn't mean that I don't like it. I do, actually. Czort is a solid and worthy band, whose previous releases were all good, and it is not different with these two new tracks. I say that their music has more classic black metal style, but do not think that it is a primeval Darkthrone-ish stuff or something like that. You will notice though that Czort combines melodies with that harsh, obscure black metal and sometimes it sounds like a combination of Scandinavian and Greek styles, with a bit of old Polish stuff too. It's aggressive, very dark and malicious in its atmosphere and just damn well played. Again, I can only speak in positive words about this music. Some of you may not be sure if split between Czort and Angrrsth is the best combination, but I think it is better than listening to two completely similar bands. Besides, both bands delivered great songs, what else do we need? 

Verdict: 85/100

Eradicate - Demise Towards the Dasein

ERADICATE - Demise Towards the Dasein (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

Turkey is no longer a blank white spot on the map of European death metal. We have Engulfed, Persecutory, Diabolizer or Burial Invocation there and they are all fantastic bands. This year, another monster has arisen from the Turkish catacombs and the name of this beast is Eradicate. "Demise Towards the Dasein" is only recording from them so far, a three-song demo (let's skip the fourth track, which is some sort of an intro). It all lasts for twelve minutes only... but it is enough to catch my attention and write the name down in the notebook for future releases. 

Definitely, Eradicate will catch your eye from the first glance with the great, classic horror artwork and that cool logo. They scream old school death metal. Loud and clear. I can only confirm your suspicion that the music is filthy, raw and damn ugly. Eradicate uses rather simplistic means, which underline that old school feel, and the musical influences can come from Autopsy, Cianide, Master, Nunslaughter and other such music zombies. Their riffs are crude, neanderthal and savage, with a bit of faster stuff here and there (but not in the modern blasting way) and doomy, chunky stuff is present even more often. I won't say that Eradicate came up with the most distinguish and attractive material of the year... because it is only a demo and it sounds like a demo. But damn, I like that death metal style, I like its primitive and raw style. I bet we will hear more from Eradicate in the future, but until then, just enjoy this piece of filth called "Demise Towards the Dasein". Very cool CD. 

Verdict: 75/100

Snake Eyes - No One Left to Die

SNAKE EYES - No One Left to Die (DEFENSE - CD 2022)

It's been few years since “Macabre Tales” EP from Snake Eyes was released (2012 to be more precise) and honestly, I don’t even remember much from that CD, I haven’t listened to it since I got it. I also have no idea what took them so long to get another recording finished, but let's just be happy that "No One Left to Die" is out. Better late than never, especially when we get a nice and solid dose of thrash metal. Which is exactly what Snake Eyes served us. 

And there’s only one thing, which I would really do differently – this album is just too long for me. 50 minutes feels like a bit of overdose of thrash for my musical taste, especially in this form and style. On the other hand, Snake Eyes does everything to get things right and tries to diverse their thrash metal as much as possible. So, you will find here plenty of straight forward, faster, aggressive thrashing songs, as well as a bit slower pieces, to get a nice diversity within this genre of metal music. Stylistically, I think this is a good mixture of US and European thrash metal, both old and new. There has to be Slayer - Slayer is in every thrash metal band, it's just mandatory. But you will hear also a bit of Testament, Kreator or Protector in it too, so all the thrash metal I like to hear, not that wimpy stuff. My sensitive ear can also catch a bit of melodic death metal here and there, almost the Arch Enemy style - “Fear of Gehenna” for that matter - which is something I am not big fan of, but I have no problems with, if it comes in smaller dose.  

Generally, Snake Eyes delivers solid, quality thrash from start to finish. They did have enough cool ideas and great riffs to fill this album up, so I’ve listened to it with pleasure. Except of “Sigh of Death” probably, which is the closing instrumental song, extending this album for another ten minutes – without it the album would sound better, I guess, but I can easily use the skip button and just play the whole thing all over again. I am sure some listeners will enjoy that instrumental piece more than I did, but I am not gonna argue about it. And one more thing, only after I have finished listening to “No One Left to Die” I realized that Snake Eys got themselves a female vocalist. But for fuck sake, I would never guess. Take that as a compliment or not, but I think it’s quite cool to realize that. 

Verdict: 75/100

Hellfuck - Diabolic Slaughter

HELLFUCK - Diabolic Slaughter (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

There was a time back in the early 90's when I would get cut for the German thrash metal trinity of Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. These bands meant a lot to me, and obviously I still hold their early catalogue dear. But it is just sad that despite their longevity, I don't really make anything of it and most of the stuff these bands did since mid 90's is useless to me. I think that only Sodom is still able to catch my attention, while the other two's recent albums can easily be buried and forgotten. What takes us to Hellfuck, who are completely new band from Poland and to their debut CD "Diabolic Slaughter". What's the connection between Hellfuck and the trio of German veterans of thrash? Well, I perceive the music on "Diabolic Slaughter" as completely infected by the old Teutonic thrash legacy. 

And it's not just a lame comparison, Hellfuck really took everything what's best in the old thrash (maybe except some more melodic and catchy parts, which such Kreator sometimes had) and built some killer songs on it. The sheer aggression, viciousness, razor sharp, cutting riffs, great fast pace and a whole lot of brilliant energy - it's all there. The music speeds like crazy, Hellfuck must feel really comfortable in this style, since they hardly ever slow down and definitely do not take prisoners. Obviously "Diabolic Slaughter" has a bit more updated production, and the general feeling of this music is far from something archaic, especially with these insane blasts... But it has that amazing old school feel, without sounding like a useless copycat. The whole satanic and blasphemous attitude is also noteworthy - from the amazing album artwork through the titles up to all lyrics ("Slay the nuns, whores of priests... Holy Mary, suck the Prick of Satan!" - hahaha). And finally, I am very surprised hearing how Skullripper sounds on "Diabolic Slaughter". Obviously, he is a great singer, I am great fan of both Embrional and Azarath, but in Hellfuck he sounds completely different, more like an ugly bastard son of Schmier and Petrozza. Damn, he really nailed these thrashing shrieks perfectly, hats off. 

That's all what I have to say about "Diabolic Slaughter". This album may not revolutionize your world, it will not become a new monument of thrash metal... but that’s not the point. I love how Hellfuck sounds here, this album kicks ass and almost makes me feel younger, since it so eagerly invites the listener for the headbanging. Reign in hell, fuckers. 

Standout tracks: “H.M.S.T.O.P.S”, “Reigning in Hell”... but they’re all equally good

Verdict: 80/100

Eggs of Gomorrh - Wombspreader

EGGS OF GOMORRH - Wombspreader (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of a great underestimation. Even though I have heard of Eggs of Gomorrh a few times before, I never bothered to check their music. I did not care, I guess. But now “Wombspreader” is crushing the speakers in my music room and I have to say it, I was wrong to skip this band before. My opinion on their new album is simple – it is a fuckin' killer. It may be one of the best releases from Godz ov War so far – which should be a good recommendation, if you know how much great music has been unleashed by this Polish label. I didn’t even expect that it will be so good, so it’s a nice, much welcomed surprise for me.  

If you’re looking for anything sophisticated, Eggs of Gomorrh will not be for you. This band opted for the most ferocious and insanely intense, straight forward bulldozing death / black metal one can imagine. Without wasting a second, they fire up with a cannonade of savage and slashing riffs, which can result in pure annihilation. They are furious, aggressive and bestial and do not sound soft or weak. Eggs of Gomorrh kind of creates a crushing wall of sound, which erupts right in your face and demands a loud, repetitive listening session.   

Stylistically, it may be a bastard child of Angel Corpse, early Morbid Angel, Diocletian, Infernal War, Impiety, Perdition Temple, Revenge, Azarath and that sort of bands. Put all their lethal energy, viciousness and barbarity into one cauldron and it will blow up in the form of Eggs of Gomorrh. A lot of the music on the album is insanely fast and brutal, which gives that erupting, chaotic feel. But I am glad that “Wombspreader” also contains some slower fragments, there are even small traces of shy melody here and there, which gives a nice diversity and more interesting results. So, as weird as it may sound, I take a lot of pleasure from this album. Its energy and dark atmosphere work perfectly well for my musical taste, I like these songs a lot and do not find anything what would not be right, really. “Wombspreader” is a brilliant album, so I can only recommend it to all crazy maniax out there. You will never see this band on Wacken, but damn, it kills 90% of bands from there, I am sure. 

Verdict: 85/100

Nauseant - ILN

NAUSEANT - ILN (Self financed promo 2009)

Sometimes I just don’t remember what hides among the stack of CDs or vinyl, there are always some items, which I completely forgot about and have not listened to in ages. Here's one such example of CDR demo I had in collection for years, I think I got it directly from the band at the time, when it was released and I was still running a printed fanzine. But after doing a review, I had to put it somewhere and forgot about it. And just yesterday I saw it all covered in dust and slime. Damn, I even had no idea I have such a great demo in my collection. The band is called Nauseant and this is a promo CDR copy of their "ILN" EP from 2009, limited to 30 copies only and pressed on a simple CDR with a xeroxed cover. 

And what the hell, this Swedish band wanted badly to be like Finnish monsters from Demilich!!!! Simple as that. There are so many similarities to "Nespithe" authors that it's almost striking. Just check these inhuman, deep monstrous growls. Someone may say that Antti Boman was one and only and who would dare to imitate him. Arghhh, lose your pants, it's just death metal! And Kalle Fagerberg does quite great job here. More so, the whole music also sounds very solid and interesting. Obviously, these riffs have that sick, weird sound, so similar to some of these Finnish lunatics like Demilich, Lubricant or Funebre, so yeah, I just have to looooveee it. Some crazy and bizarre arrangements, tempo changes, almost cacophonic parts here and there, obscure sound... It sounds wonderfully sick to my old ears! Actually, “ILN” has such a strong early 90’s vibe that it could be mistaken with some of these old demos or EPs. With the exception that the production here is a bit better. 

All in all, I feel just happy that I managed to find this CDR in my collection. Great discover, yes. And I will definitely try to grab a copy of the vinyl (released by No Posers Please! from Norway, a great label, which was run by a Diskord dude!). Hell yeah! 

Verdict: 80/100