This gruesome twosome began life in Northern Italy in 2001 comprising Thorshammer on vocals and guitars and Gornhar on Drums. Their plan? To channel pure uncontaminated hate through their music. They were eventually joined by Dr Faustus on bass and have now released “Negative Monoliths” their second eruption.
This is pretty standard blackened death fayre. The vocals remind me of a mix between Bulldozer and Nocturno Occulto’s work on the Slegest album.
Instrumental opener “Nothing but the Void “ sets things off well with some modern sounding blackened blasts seguing nicely into “Heretic Reaktor” which has a whiff of early Sepultura about it amongst the Obituary stylings. This track is the biggun of the 8 but let’s itself down with a strangled Black Metal section that sounds like Thorshammer is trying a really bad Quorthon impression on for size. Surely not?
Endless Dogmatic Demolition kicks off with manic drums, then adds more drums. It all sounds a little try hard. “Bigotry of the Insects” slows things down a little and brings some groove into the extremity. Vocals aren’t great here and I find myself wishing for more instrumental tracks- a real shocking statement for me.
Sarin Total Wipeout . The title makes me think of Japanese terrorists trying to jump on giant inflatable red balls in Argentina. The pedestrian deathblasts that follow do not wipe the image from my mind.
This band are not awful they just are not original enough to be interesting or derivative enough to be comforting. There are riffs and blasts and rasped vocals and KVLT bits but it is all too pick and mix, hit and miss for me. Darkthrone have done this kind of thing much better in their early 21st Century output.
Pure uncontaminated hate? This is the Poundland version.
(3/10 Matt Mason)
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