Having had a taster of what these guys from Birmingham could do with their previous demo ‘Hate Legions Ride!’ right here on Ave Noctum earlier this year, I was more than happy to see their debut full length appear on my reviews pile so soon. They could certainly deliver the goods in three tracks of no-bullshit blackness, but how would they fare in full length terms? As it turns out, just as well! Utilizing Steve Powell (Anaal Nathrakh) once more for session drums, this duo of former members of Cancer have certainly hit their stride on this debut release.
‘The Rule of Xerxes’ opens the release, starting off just where their demo left us mere months ago, combining the spirit of Celtic Frost, Bathory and Venom into an old school studded fist to the jaw. ‘Black War Machine’ opens with the same grimness in its riffage that was conjured by the gurning, sky clutching sickness of Darkthrone’s ‘In The Shadow of the Horns’, before sweeping into something more befitting of early Emperor or Enslaved in its furious crescendo of riffage – and it is the riffage which is king here. There’s no over-egging the proceedings, no unnecessary keyboard intros and outros or the like – here the riff is what drives the album forward, and thoroughly brings the album to life in all its barbaric charm. ‘Frozen in Time’, ‘Hate Legions Ride’ and ‘Parasitic Roots of the Earth’ are just as great as they were on their previous demo, having all the hallmarks of classic Sodom, replete with galloping rhythms, wild leadwork and an intimidating, in your face tone that the likes of early Satyricon had in spades.
Not afraid to drop something entirely more epic into their sound by way of thoroughly effective repetitive melodies and interesting refrains, this album certainly isn’t a one trick pony of monochromatic bludgeoning. However, the remainder of the album keeps up the generally unrelenting pace, finishing violently with the Venom gone wrong blackness of ‘The Divine Embers’ burning ferociously in your ears before you find yourself reaching for the play button once more.
The demo material had potential, but ‘Amidst The Blackest Void’ sees them realise it with hateful abandon. Rather than just aping their collective influences from the first and second waves of black metal, they’ve managed to create an authentic glimpse back to the early days of black/thrash extremity and re-imagined it with all the subtlety of a white hot iron branding to the brain with their music. Riff heavy, rangy and dexterous in their scope, Arrogant Destruktor are an old school extreme metal heads’ dream come true.
(7.5/10 Lars Christiansen)
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