Empheris / Wishmaster - Heavy Metal Inquisition

EMPHERIS / WISHMASTER - Heavy Metal Inquisition (NECROPULSAR - CD 2011)

Few months have passed since I recommended and reviewed any Empheris’ release the last time, so let’s check yet another split CD, in which these Warsaw slaughterers participate. This one was released in 2011 by Necropulsar / Hellgate and it is a joined force of Empheris and Szczecin’s Wishmaster; all under the great title “Heavy Metal Inquisition”! Obviously neither of these two bands plays the classic heavy metal, but definitely this kind of music, with such cult acts like Accept, Maiden, Mercyful Fate, etc, must have influenced them as much as the raw black and thrash metal have. Anyway, I was very happy to finally have a chance to listen to “Heavy Metal Inquisition”, as I keep collecting most of the Empheris releases – they surely are one of my favorite Polish bands. But they’re so active with releasing so many different materials that it gets more and more difficult to keep the track of what was their latest release, but I’m happy that despite such a frequent releasing schedule, their music is still damn solid and enjoyable. So is this split with Wishmaster.

While I had absolutely no idea about the second of these bands, Empheris delivered stuff, which I would expect from them exactly. I mean, is there something else than blackened thrash metal, what those guys can play? No, they keep their style untouched and that’s great, especially if we listen to such killer songs like “Angels Without Wings”. This really is old school to the bone metal and if that doesn’t convince you, then maybe Venom’s and Hellhammer’s covers will, as they have been played in truly classic and pure archaic way. Killer!

But I must say that for me personally it’s not Empheris, who won my heart on “Heavy Metal Inquisition” split CD, as surprisingly it turned out that Wishmaster is even more lethal on this release! Really, I had no idea that this band is so killer and good. I guess it’s time to get some of their older stuff, as these two songs, which they have putted on this CD are damn brilliant. Production wise it is quite clean and well recorded, the sound is definitely more aggressive than Empheris’, but the music is just an old school metal celebration; quite similar to Empheris, stylistically both bands fit together perfectly. But as I said, on this split I like Wishmaster’s songs more, “Witchcult” is so catchy that I will sing it all day now, and “Hellish Raw Metal” is like an official anthem for speed / thrash / black metal. Ha, bands like Aura Noir can feel a real threat from Wishmaster. Their fantastic part of “Heavy Metal Inquisition” is finished with Bewitched’s cover, but since I’ve never been listening to this band much, then I’m not gonna comment the way this cover has been played – except that it is very, very good listen.

Do I still need to recommend this CD? For me it actually is one of the best releases with Empheris, so I’ll spend some more time with it. I’ve got a couple of cold lagers in my fridge, so isn’t it the best way to spend the time with “Heavy Metal Inquisition”?

Standout tracks: Empheris - “Angels Without Wings”, Wishmaster - “Hellish Raw Metal”

Final rate: 87/100