There are some bands that you just instantly fall in love with, such is the case for me and Impaled Nazarene. I heard their debut album Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz… pretty early on in my Extreme Metal journey. It made me appreciate Black Metal in a whole new light. The 2014 album Vigorous And Liberating Death would only continue to cement my admiration for this Satanic powerhouse of a band.

Cue 2021, a new dawn! A follow up (finally) to Vigorous And Liberating Death, I’ve been waiting for this moment for too long. Eight Headed Serpent is the Finnish Metallers thirteenth full length release. They have amassed quite the discorgraphy since their 1990 beginnings. They’ve played with a whole host of influences too from Grind, to Thrash to Black, Death and beyond and always they continue to evolve and explore. So how does this Osmose Productions release hold up against everything else?

The album creeps in with the introductory sampled tones of Goat Of Mendes before it plunges into all out Black Metal fire! The track is as extreme as ever, seeping with pure grimness and full force trve Metal power. Slutti666’s vocals sounding as killer as ever and with plenty of instrumental destruction to back it up, savage riffs and pounding drumming make the memorability all the more strong. The title track continues with further vocal hooks, an Extreme Metal band who aren’t afraid to be catchy, it looks like Impaled Nazarene might have done it again. The Nonconformists brings an aggressive Punk edge, exactly the sort of thing I love from Imp Naz.

Debauchery and Decay is a super cool track, love that bass tone and Punk energy, hell this makes me miss live music so much. I can just imagine headbanging to this and shouting out the lyrics along with a signature ‘ough’. Human Cesspool adds to this with Grind-like tendencies, a nice touch for the album. This second half is actually full of amazing tracks, I love the double hit of Apocalypse Pervertor and Triumphant Return Of The Antichrist, massive tunes. Mutilation Of The Nazarene Whore is another all-out crusher of a track, totally ignorant and in your face, perfect Blackened hellfire! The album ends with the long (well for this album anyway) Foucault Pendulum, it’s a whole five minutes! The band drag it out like a Doom Metal epic though and truly it’s a striking piece of work and fitting end to the album.

Truly this is a work of Extreme Metal art, I pretty much went into this album thinking ‘it’ll never match Vigorous And Liberating Death’ how wrong was I! This is perfection, absolutely without a shadow of a doubt one of the best Extreme Metal albums I’ve heard this year, if not in the last few years. It’s incredible and exactly what any existing fans would hope for. It’s also a marvellous entry point for newcomers too. To me this is exactly what Extreme Metal is all about and I love it so very much.

(10/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/ImpaledNazareneOfficial

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/eight-headed-serpent