This is death metal from Poland, and the band’s called Sacrofuck, so little is left to the imagination. How many times am I going to write the word “harsh”? Before I get on to the album “Święta Krew”, which translates as “Holy Blood”, let me tell you that this band has been together for 17 years and this is their second full album, along with a number of demos and splits along the way. As ever, all of the band members have featured in other bands and the core of the current line-up came together in 2017.
The guitar work is razor-sharp and has a twist in its tail. The vocalist roars. “Wbijam gwoździe w Twoje dłonie” (I drive nails into your hands) breaks down. It’s like machine-gun fire. Of course it’s loud. It’s lacerating death metal. I felt invigorated by the pumping drum and colourful guitar work. No time to reflect though as all hell breaks loose again, as Sacrofuck drive forward at extreme velocity and blow everything out of the way in front of them. There’s thrash in that death metal. Sacrofuck cleverly manage the tempo. But again the object seems to be to blast us off the face of the earth. “Trumna” (Coffin) is upon us. The guitar sounds like smoke is coming from the dirty exhaust of a motor cycle. The drummer pops away at pace. Fury turns to a breather. The vocalist utters dirt. I can’t say what sort of dirt because the lyrics are in Polish. Away we go again at breakneck speed. It’s chaos out there.
No time is taken between songs, which is how it should be, as this is an unmitigated brutal assault on our senses. But Sacrofuck do better than that, breaking down and injecting ferocious and menacing guitar solos as on “Niech płynie krew” (Let the blood flow). In amongst all these flying sparks and fire, there’s a deathly majesty. “Niech płynie krew” screeches to a halt, then “Czarnego kozła śmierć” (Black goat death) heads off again like a train. The riffs are as hard as nails. The music, supported by customary death metal angst-driven growls, is fiery and aggressive. Hostile guitar solos are thrown into the deadly mix. There’s a clever break to catch us out on “Zabij wszystkich,których kochasz” (Kill everyone you love) but essentially this is an all-out death metal assault. And invigorating it is too. Even when it slows down, which is very rare but does happen on “Ból” (Pain), it’s unremittingly menacing. This particular song features a hardcore-style chorus. It’s all part of the overall mayhem. “El Raval” takes us forward with the usual ultra-heavy, razor-sharp attack. Once again the guitar is smoking. Metal thunder rumbles. The final piece is “Maska” (Hood). As usual it’s like being in the middle of a battlefield with guns blazing from all angles. The tempo slows for a spell of torturous and suffering voices. In the background is loud and expertly played death metal. Thus ends 33 minutes of unabated intensity.
Yes, it’s harsh and its death metal through and through, but what struck me most about this album was its rampant and unrelenting energy. Prepare to be torn apart by “Święta Krew”.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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