After a decade of silence Danish destroyers Panzerchrist re-convened last year with their founder Panzergeneral putting together an almost completely new tank crew. This was probably a bit of a gamble although guitarist Frederik O’Carroll was returning for a second tour of duty with the group, so was well aware of exactly how to smoothly run large aspects of their heavy-artillery. The resulting album ‘Last Of A Kind’ went down very well and got a whopping 9.5/10 score from us, so obviously the comeback could be looked upon as a large success. Now falling into our inbox as the first official release of 2024 we have an EP of material attached to the album with tracks recorded at the previous session but not, we are informed, numbers that should be looked at as mere leftovers from it.

First cut ‘Sabbath Of The Rat’ reintroduces one of the album’s previous numbers and allows new vocalist Sonja Rosenlund Ahl to coat the merciless, seething blackened death instrumentation with her gravid rasps and snarls. It’s a crusty sounding barrage of heaving riffs and pummelling drums which like a plague of rats tears through everything in its path until surprisingly lightening textures with an opposing section of calm melodicism. From here we move onto the 3 new numbers imbibed with the essence of horror. Industrial clanking takes us into the slower machinery of ‘Stone for the Graveless’ adding a touch of slithering doom to things. Malignant stealth oozes out the speakers here and the vocals are suitably cadaverous providing a coating of rottenness and decrepitude over sombre and mournful melody. ‘Satan Is Among Us’ is more of a romp and perfect for an unholy rite on the Sabbat. Spooky and due to the vocals at times downright scary, complete with a mid-section of disharmonic unease it’s a track far removed from the likes of cheesy Hammer horror of old. Continuing with the theme ‘She’s A Witch’ strikes as more of an extended outro rather than a full number. Electronics, groans and cackles are effectively utilised here leaving you with the touch of the grave and the fingernails of the dead themselves scratching at your spine.

Serving as a good companion piece to the album, this EP closes a chapter and allows the band to effectively move on to the next album, one that apparently is already shortly to be recorded.

(7.5/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/panzerchristofficial

https://emanzipation.bandcamp.com/album/all-witches-shall-burn