Blachthrashingdrunkenmetalpunx rejoice. Here we have a split 7” vinyl release (although sent to us on a burnt CD) of two very kvlt outfits. Both have two tracks on respective sides of the record and although it is short weighing in at just over 12 minutes it is as suitably a disgusting racket as one may expect.
Templar are relatively obscure Finnish mob who prior to this have it would appear just a limited cassette to their name. Released in 2018 the delightfully named ‘Knights of Nuclear Hell Decibelfucking the Charred Remains of the Christ’ is no doubt as batty as the named players on it and as primitive as the hand drawn cover and DIY ethos of the act. Here we have ‘Phallout’ a nuclear spasm of violent old school dirt and crusty blackened thrash hammering away with little in the way of subtly or mercy. Commandeered by the snarling vokills of Master Tyrant its just what one would expect to get the head banging over clattering drums and grating guitar work. Bass is hefty and adds to the ballast and backing vocals holler away adding a sense of maniacal zeal to the number. Templar have gone on to cover a track by Finnish crust punks Maho Neitsy for their second number Nuclearly Armed Graveyard and that’s a frightening proposition in itself, you don’t arm zombies with nukes! This is a right old grind bastard and the vocals are even more deranged whooping and hollering away over a snarling morass of uncouth instrumentation hammered out with relish and exuberance. Will we hear more from Templar in the future or will their livers explode, who can tell?
On the other hand, Japanese act Barbatos should need little in the way, intrinsically aligned with Abigail, Yasuyuki Suzuki has shed more band members than they have releases, their last full length (and that’s a hell of a lot) 2015 release Straight Metal War being the last to disgust us (literally) here at Ave Noctum. It’s from this that the title track and Rocking Metal Sluts (I mean really) are vomited from with the non-PC precision of a particularly vile and violent chunk blowing episode. This is much more in a rotting rock n rolling disharmony taking in the likes of Motorhead, Venom, Sodom and GG Allin all fighting each other to get prime position at a glory hole rodeo. As our last writer mentioned the vocals are a little bit on the over-the-top side and have a helium balloon gas quality making them somewhat daft and along with the subject matter and metalenglisch approach rather silly. Still if you just want to let loose and listen to a back-to-basics old school noise you will be in your element on their tracks.
This is what it is and if you love getting blitzed on various noxious substances and often wake up in the corner with vomit on your battle jacket (and not necessarily your own) feel free to add an extra mark or so to the score.
(6/10 Pete Woods)
https://www.facebook.com/Templar-763427124023362
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