Poland has long been a source of consistently executed extreme metal, and like an emblem of this phenomenon is Witchmaster. Formed by band founder Geryon in 1996, today’s line-up includes Reyash of Christ Agony/Vader fame and the return of drumming powerhouse Inferno (Behemoth). It goes without saying that with such a formidable cast, Witchmaster’s fifth album is not backwards in coming forwards. In fact, from the start we’re left in no doubt at all what the band’s intention is. As the press release makes clear, they are back “with no intention of backing down what-so-fucking-ever.” After a few listens to this, I’d say they’re good to their word.
The title track gets us on our way, building up like classic metal. Perhaps the most immediately pleasing aspect is the production, which resembles a wall of sonic concrete; the instruments thudding and scraping against eardrums. Musically, the opener sets out Witchmaster’s stall as a mix of snaking black metal and sudden thrashy outbursts, topped off with hellish roars. Traces of death metal are also in there too though – most demonstrably when precision blast-beats pound away in sections. The two predominant metal subgenres however are black and thrash. The muscular splicing of them results in music which appears largely uncomplicated but packed with momentum. When the musicians decide to take off, as in ‘Black Leather’ where Destruction-like riffs interrupt the initial epic overtones, it’s like being dragged repeatedly over hot coals. The inherent blackness dripping through it all necessarily makes the experience all the more savage. And again, in ‘Attack and Release’, feral is the operative word, with tones just like the mighty Desaster.
The major difference between Witchmaster and the likes of Desaster however is that the Poles’ approach is virtually all direct and punkishly brief. There is variation within the tracks after the initial phase of the album but it’s slight. For all the cocky shredding and solos on ‘Caricature of Humanity’ or the titanium riffs of ‘When Will It All End’, such numbers don’t exactly move much beyond the opening onslaughts, which immediately command attention. That said, they’re still raging good fun. And when we get to the final third of the disc, it’s almost like the band senses that it’s time for some all-out jugular ripping. ‘She Said Red’ and ‘Demon of Obliteration’ in particular are possibly the most thunderous cuts of the entire affair. The former blasts out with titanic riffs, an “Oohh!” and some intricate cymbal patterns thrown into the imperious equation, while the latter increases our pain with vocals from multiple sources and flesh battering riffs/drum work. Of the rest, closer ‘And it Burns…’ hounds the listener like those demon dogs from ‘The Omen’.
Ultimately, ‘Antichristus Ex Utero’ has just one intention: to crush the weak. While there are glimpses of diversity such as the ‘megaphone’ vocals (‘Master of Confusion’, ‘…And it Burns’), they don’t have the same expansive soundscapes to inhabit as, say, Mortuus’ in Marduk. As a result, the belligerently narrow perimeters of Witchmaster’s onslaught may render the disc forgettable to many but a hardcore crowd of black/thrash maniacs. But certainly if you do need to be sonically beaten, it’s concise and more than forceful enough to get the job done. Most admirable of all is the manner in which the band blends genres. There’s nothing contrived about how they do it and the end product is simply what it is: a burning fist to the face.
(7.5/10 Jamie)
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