This delightfully named collective from Poland have their debut album upon us, following a trio of split releases and a debut EP. I must admit, I’ve been looking out for this one to be released. Yes, it is disgusting rock ‘n’ roll (their debut EP title!), a mix of punk, thrash and black metal, an angry wasp let loose following a period of torture, total aggression and fury, you get the picture?

‘Black Blood Baptism’, the track, uses all the traits you would expect from Mayhem and Marduk, its fast, with a raspy vocal. The drums are strong and precise, the overall mix is very good also. I love the time change part way through. The beats blast forward with ‘Unicestwienie’, still in vein of the black metal masters, this time adding that punk influence, for me like Carpathian Forest in places. That said, it’s not a pure black metal release. ‘The Pagan Storm’ is a sci-fi sound alike instrumental, with apocalyptic storms brewing overhead prior to ascending to ‘Hailing to the Stars’ is a d-beat marathon in many places overlaid with typical darker musical tempos. ‘Sulfer Goat’ is augmented with a really cool “metal” riff prior to the vocals. There is a cover of Behemoth’s ‘Pure Evil and Hate’ (taken from the demo ‘From the Pagan Vastlands’), and I suppose to the casual listener, you may hear a lot of influence of Behemoth on this album, mainly from the chaotic sonic bombardment and mix of styles associated with the aforementioned bands early to mid-career path.

Overall, the mix of styles and overall spouting a few interesting influences. It’s not your usual black thrash assault, it’s got more than that, it’s black metal punk (that is perfectly executed on ‘Sabbath of Unholy Lust’), but there is a lot of black metal influence overall. The transitions are done very well, the arrangements thus sound strong and deliver on many levels. Granted, it’s all out there in the world, done in a few other quarters, however, this band sound so much at ease and ensures the listener has a few WTF moments, like the riff near the end of ‘DAR’.

(8/10 Paul Maddison)

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/black-blood-baptism