Satanic Bloodspraying - At the Mercy of Satan (2012)

About as far removed from subtlety as one could experience, the Bolivian unknowns Satanic Bloodspraying arrive on the Hells Headbangers roster in full force with a 25 minute dissertation on primal black/thrash punishment which serves no interest beyond living up to the band's moniker. This is rib spreading, heart devouring, ghastly South American sacrifice with almost no emphasis on uniqueness, no deviation towards complexity, and no real artistry beyond the sheer act of butchery being committed to audio. You will love it, or you will hate it. They offer no apologies in the latter case, but if you're the sort that spends much of his or her day threading black, white and red logo patches to whatever empty space remains on your denim and leather outerwear, you will surely sip at its sanguine teat.

The band is being touted as Impaled Nazarene worship, and I can certainly hear where that comparison is coming from, though I'd also cite Nifelheim, Venom and early Bathory as stylistic siblings. The guitars crash along with full on blasts of chords beneath the expressive, blood-curdling rasp of the vocalist, and while the riffs are incredibly simplistic and offer little variety, often subsisting on a mere two chords, there is a similar, infernal freshness redolent of the aforementioned Finn punk-demons. The drums are your standard, straight razors of hostility, blasted along with considerable force, meticulous yet a little predictable in design; while the bass just oozes this copious load of distortion that would still crush the listener's face in even if the guitars were never around to accompany it. They also layer in guttural counter vocals (as in the chorus of "Satanic Skullfuck") and echoed shouts to curb the monotony of the salacious front man, so it's not exactly a one track record.

In fact, the Bolivians would often surprise me, as with the epic, slower paced slaughterfest that is "The Day the Earth Stood Still", where a few deep piano strikes secede to some carnal, rocking guitars that almost ascend to the heights of late 80s, epic Bathory (also prominent in the similar "March the Dead"). Yet, even at these points, they don't really mix up the riffing enough that my ears had something to explore. Granted, the songs are kept to a manageable length (usually 2-3 minutes) and hardly require distractions, but often I felt that there really wasn't enough going on even in such a restricted space. Also, though the riffing style is comparable, the band never felt as drunken, blistering and vicious as Impaled Nazarene on their classic works, so you don't often feel like your face is being splayed along the hellish highway pavement.

There is, as I noted above, an audience that will always gorge itself on this sort of honest, purebred volatility that attempts little more than to recapture the grisly history of its influences and to these fiends, I say that At the Mercy of Satan will not prove a disappointment. However, I didn't personally get a lot out of the album. The lyrical aesthetics, which explore the usual dark occult, necromantic and horror themes all feel like well trodden ground, and the riffs fall well short of purchase on any new territory: violent, and cruel, but never all that ominous or evil in notation. A decent album for breaking glass with a spiked gauntlet, and the production impresses with its blood-spattered boldness, but it's not something I feel pulling me back to it, despite the punch in the face I know I will receive.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

Rotting Christ/Negative Plane - Split EP (2012)

On its surface, this collaboration is yet another of those unique ideas one cannot help but admire. Essentially the 7" split provides the 'soundtrack' to a doctoral publication coming out later in the year through a Swedish imprint known as Malört Förlag, and was arranged by the historian Mikael Häll, who also provides a narrative intro to the two songs and appears on the Rotting Christ track (he also appeared on the 2006 debut by the band Sleeping Majesty). The theme of his dissertation is in antiquated sexual commerce with supernatural beings, but beyond that, let's just come out and say it: the man has great taste, and picked two of the finest bands in the black metal niche to help represent his research.

Of course, Rotting Christ and Negative Plane have two highly distinct sounds that heavily contrast with one another, and I'm not sure they match up aesthetically for this release. About the only thing that connects the two tunes is the deep, sonorous narrative introducing them. The Greeks' contribution, "Naturdemonernas Lockrop: I 1000 Djävlars Namn" is a riff heavy construction, not entirely unlike the material from their past half dozen full-lengths, which features thrash-driven guitars wrought with chants and the sort of triumphant climax chorus you'd have heard on albums like A Dead Poem, Khronos or even Sleep of the Angels. Energetic, certainly, with a particularly bloody execution of Sakis' rasping, but not their most memorable piece in recent years. Contrast this with the non-metallic Negative Plane instrumental, which is founded on eerie, clean guitars and swerving, psychedelic bass lines set to a tinny percussion backdrop, and you get a broad gulf in style.

Of the two, I found the latter marginally more compelling, but only because it leaves so much to the imagination. Effort-wise, I'd not be surprised of the trio could knock out a dozen "Chasm Depths" in an afternoon/evening rehearsal session. So as far as its musical value, I wouldn't think to hold the split in the highest regard. That being said, though, I feel like this sort of collaboration deserves encouragement, not only for the eclectic and rich quality of the artists involved, but also as an outlet for intellectual pursuits that bridge history, literature and extreme music. That Rotting Christ and Negative Plane agreed to do this does not particularly shock me: these are phenomenal bands who have long held an interest in writing music that dives far beneath the epidermis of their chosen genre. Häll's subject matter is fascinating (though I'm not sure English readers will get a translated version when the writings are published), and the idea of such a multimedia exhibition as this is cool beyond words (they've released numerous author audio-literary crossovers before); but, unfortunately, neither of the individual songs here is the best representation of its artist, and so it's ultimately more of a novelty than a necessity.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

http://www.malortforlag.se/english.php
http://www.rotting-christ.com/
http://www.myspace.com/negative.plane

Sylvan Realm - The Lodge of Transcendence (2011)

Recent years have seen a surge of US acts pursuing a diversified, broad spectrum of melodic black and death metal which in the 90s we would generally have associated foremost out of Europe. Joining groups like Obsequiae, Cormorant and Shroud of Despondency in this pursuit, we now have Sylvan Realm, a former one man show (as Reverie) which has transformed into a full trio, with an auspicious debut that promises emotional highs and lows, ample riffing variation and the requisite contrasts of folksy acoustic guitar elements, rasped vocals and writhing, persistent melodies that are hit or miss throughout over 40 minutes and five tracks of dynamic length.

I was a little back and forth with this album, loving some sequences and indifferent to others, but in general The Lodge of Transcendence is a competent, confident piece with much to recommend, even if there are a few rougher corners to work around. The first track, the trio's namesake "Sylvan Realm" comes out firing with an intense flux of swaggering guitars, double bass bombast, but then it bursts into this amazingly atmospheric break over which Sylvan shouts with an almost hardcore-sounding angst that really felt distinct and unusual. Honest, upon hearing this I had rather high hopes for a lot more of this, but while the cleaner vocals are indeed present elsewhere on the record, they're not paired up with such a memorable backdrop, and I just don't find the usual mix of grunts and snarls to be all that distinguished or interesting, nor a vast swath of the riffing, which seems to dwell upon the usual Scandinavian patterns so many Swedish and Finnish hybrids once manifest.

That said, they manage to evince some snappy dynamics here that lead into these straight metal grooves that rock straight out and resurrect the listener's fleeting attention, and they rarely dwell on any one riffing pattern for so long that its blades fully dull. This is especially important as there are some rather fattened tracks here at 8-10 minutes which would be murdered by a blander, more repetitive composition. One of these, "Twilight Kingdom" is an extensive acoustic over which you'll get some, meandering poetry in a deep clean tone, and I admit it lost me over a few minutes, but tunes like the titular "Lodge...", with its mournful and memorable opening passage, and "Temple of Not", which balances periods of psychedelic calm and accelerated tremolo black metal with a Viking feel, were well enough written to hold the attention throughout. Often the extensive duration of the songs, and the constantly swaying melodies will recall a more aggressive shadow of the older, enjoyable Opeth records (minus the difference in vocals).

I also dug the poetic, introspective, and cosmic bent to the lyrics here which is so often a boon for this sort of ambitious balance of extremes. Sure, there are quite a few cliches in there about walking through the woods, falling leaves, etc, but what would you expect? The Lodge of Transcendence is wide music suited to wide spaces, often shouting down the mountain towards you or bubbling up from the nearest brook. There's this naturalistic feel to the whole package which I feel fans of the rustic North American acts Agalloch, Woods of Ypres and Wolves of the Throne Room would enjoy, but at the same time there's nothing as minimalistic here as you might here in a number of the 'Cascadian' black metal groups. Definitely a decent debut, I didn't love the thing but it was able to loop my interest back around at several points where I thought it had run off course.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/thetruereverie

Denial of God - Death and the Beyond (2012)

Considering their 21 year history, Danes Denial of God have had a rather quiet career, producing at first a long series of EPs through the 90s that eventually led up to some more substantial works in recent times. Death and the Beyond is only the band's second full-length album, but I've got to admit that I do enjoy the atmosphere and concept the band is attempting to manifest, if not so much the songwriting and execution. Like many bands of their ilk, there is the fascination with Satan and the occult, but they attempt to capture more of a supernatural horror feel through the album that brings about comparisons to acts like Mortuary Drape, Mercyful Fate, and King Diamond, even though the musical manifestation is quite different.

Quite liked the cover on this album, simple yet colorful and elegant, and the Gothic piano/vocal intro "Veni Spiritus" led me to believe that this would be quite a lot more atmospheric than it turned out. The band does implement pianos, synthesizers, and cleaner guitars to help break out the meatier riffing, but in general they play in a fairly minimal, subdued brand of black metal with a balance of slower, Celtic Frost-inspired grooves like you'll hear in "Funeral" and mid-paced, flowing rhythms with a hint of thrash ("The Cursed Chamber"). The production on the record is quite clean, especially the drums and guitar tone, so it makes for a smoother transition to the less metallic segues strewn about the track list, but it often leeches some of the riffs from a potential, rawer power that might have benefited their general lack of nuance and aggression. That said, Denial of God are no strangers to variation: they are not constantly repeating themselves here, fully capable of launching into a blasted rhythm with tremolo guitars in a total 90s fashion ("Behind the Coffin's Lid", the faster segments of "Black Dethe") or meting out an incorporeal interlude ("Spectral Lights").

The vocals are nothing out of the ordinary, almost like a thicker Satyr rasp but with a few deviations into the Gothic, solemn narrative I hinted at before. Death and the Beyond does suffer from some bloat, with a number of tunes exceeding 9 minutes and the grand finale, "Pendulum Swings" hitting 15. If the songs were actually creepier, or at least featured more malevolent passages interspersed with the dryer fare, then this would be easier to ingest, but too often here I felt that the guitars were uninspired and the little key melodies, which were often used to create a morbid lullaby, just went nowhere. Ultimately, my frustration with this album stemmed from the fact that, while I dig what the Danes are trying to achieve, the actual music does not live up to the breathtaking, ghostly theme, and I found myself admiring the more spacious, atmospheric segues as in "Bones turn to Dust" than the actual metal content. This is by no means an unpleasant or bad record, but it doesn't possess the thrills and chills I expected when looking upon it.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.denialofgod.net/

Myhrding - A Legacy of Shadows (2012)

Like their countrymen Istapp, Myhrding are another younger act to enter the realm of melodic-fueled pagan black metal, placing a heavier emphasis on accessible guitar lines and bold, swaggering production than the utter grimness and savagery the genre was founded upon. Clearly you could trace this style back to Swedish national treasures like Dissection, or their Northern neighbors Immortal, with a very wintry undercurrent coursing beneath the flow of notes and harsh Scandinavian rasps, but these guys actually offer up a pretty decent variety of subject matter like vampires and pestilence which you don't ordinarily associate with the niche they perform in. A Legacy of Shadows might not burst anyone's bubble in terms of distinction, but the tunes are performed with enough gallantry that anyone who fancies a melody or a mead horn will find it quite agreeable.

The dual guitars are god here, so you'll spend much of your time following their lines as they scatter and converge through chords and steadily picked tremolo progression. Never insanely fast or slow, they tend towards a moderate pace that allows for some chugging to anchor fine riffs like the perky melody infused into "No Reason to Return" or the saddening decline that heralds "Fight for All Demise". Folksy acoustic guitars are also broken out for tunes like "Blood is the Life" (in the bridge), and they're fairly well matched, often recalling such great tracks as In Flames' "Moonshield" from The Jester Race. The rhythm section is taut and efficient, though I often felt like the bass lines followed the guitars to the point that they became subdued. The vocalist has a pretty monotonous, deep rasp which meets with mixed results here: while the style fits Myhrding's heavy inclination towards the longing, ranging melodies, it doesn't feel like he brings enough variation or emotion to distinguish his presence, and thus he too soon seems buried by the guitar.

Otherwise, A Legacy of Shadows is a functional and oft enjoyable full-length debut, which fans of Swedish melodic black metal will very likely enjoy if they're not exhausted with the form. The lyrics alternate between English and their native tongue, and though I wouldn't say the music itself sinks to the level of evil and horror present in the prose to something like "Blood is the Life", the riffs are still efficaciously poignant and graceful. It wouldn't hurt Myhrding to throw down a little harder, pick up speed for greater contrasts against the more restrained, majestic passages they are so fond of generator. The songwriting here is pretty safe and scripted, with no tendency towards the element of surprise, and while I like the simple leads wound through pieces like "The Inner Voice", they rarely feel anything more than an additional melody, which the album has no shortage of already. Ultimately, though, this is a well pretty well produced and executed affair, it's greatest setback (a common one) is that it's been done before, and more intensely.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]
 
http://www.facebook.com/Myhrding

Dantalion - Return to Deep Lethargy (2012)

Return to Deep Lethargy is the fourth album of Spaniards Dantalion, and their first for Unexploded Records. If you've gotten the chance to hear their material in the past, you'll know that they perform a blend of traditional black metal with an overwhelming sense of melody and sadness that many would more often equate with the melodic doom of early to mid period Katatonia. It's perhaps important to note that band as an influence here, since they close out this disc with a cover of "Murder" from the 1996 album Brave Murder Day, but beyond that, the Swedes' inherent sense of layering melodic textures over driving rhythmic undercurrent permeates the majority of the six originals here, which creates a constant aesthetic of desperation and abandon that pairs well with the vocals.

Sanguinist's timbre is quite hoarse and tormented, almost as if he were gargling gravel until his throat began to bleed, and it actually adds a pretty effective contrast against the lockstep of the sorrowful guitar patterns. I will admit that a lot of the band's rhythm riffing seems nothing new if you've been partial to the Swedish hybrid of black and Gothic doom in the past, simplistic patterns of chords occasionally threaded with tremolo picking sequences, but once they get all their eggs in the same basket and have both the guitar progressions rattling off against the sobering pain in the vocal, they create a tangible level of suffering. The drums are quite reflexive and tight, with lots of dainty little fills to hold the attention, and solid foot work or blasting where the tracks begin to pick up pace, but I wouldn't say they erupt into a faster pace quite so much as they might have on their older records like When the Ravens Fly Over Me. Still, it's a great way of splitting up the more morose, slower terrain that so many of these riffs carve out.

There are definitely a handful of chord patterns here capable of hypnotizing the listener and providing for a deeper experience ("The Arrival of Silence" and "Onward to Darkness" in particular), but I still felt the niggling sensation that I'd been down this road before and that several of the band's somber forebears have written far catchier, gloomier songs in this niche. That said, Return to Deep Lethargy is an apt title for the record, and Dantalion have efficiently provided the soundtrack for an overcast afternoon of solitude and pessimistic self reflection which, more often than not, invests the listener in shared regret. I wouldn't go so far as to call this album 'depressive black metal', since the production of the guitars and drums seem too clean and professional for that sphere, the melodies too surfaced and accessible, but certainly the vocals have a coat of grime to them that wounds the soul. The "Murder" cover is decent, especially with Sanguinist's more tortured tone growling above the melody. All in all, a successful effort, if nothing unique or transitory.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.dantalionband.com/

Grave Desecrator - Deathspells Rising (2011)

What with the utter worship of all things decrepit, old school and evil in a growing, international crowd of underground pundits, I'm surprised a group like the Brazilians Grave Desecrator haven't taken off further. Their last album, Insult was an effectively grimy and antiquated mesh of black and death metals which drew upon their own national forebears, in additional to the expected influences elsewhere (Bathory, Darkthrone, Hellhammer, so forth). I'm not going to lie: there is not a single new idea present in any of their music, but for what they do, the occult and satanic extremity recalling the late 80s and early 90s, they know how to get the blood rising in the proper appendages, and continue to do so with Deathspells Rising.

This is, however, not a brand new album, but a compilation featuring odds and ends from the band's 13 years of existence to its day. My favorite chunk of this record would be the live set, consisting of six tracks that had yet to be released to the public. They don't all seem to hail from the same performance, but at least the versions of "Revelations (of the Beast)", "Carnal Obsession", "Midnight Sinner", "Cursed Mass", and "Christ's Blood", all from their 2008 full-length debut Sign of Doom, all sound appropriately menacing yet professional. I love this group's raw but clean guitar tone, recalling a bit of that old Hellhammer abrasion, and the dark, blunt callousness of the guttural vocals is a perfect fit with the pump of the rhythm section. There are a few other rehearsal pieces on the album which also come from different periods, but aren't quite as impressive as their official incarnations.

As for studio content, they've got the entire 2001 demo front and foremost, and the sound here was pretty spectacular as well, with raw and ruinous guitars that churn out these voluptuous, hostile tremolo patterns which under the earlier vocals, which were more of a straight, carnal black rasp. A definite boon for collectors who, for geographical or scarcity reasons could not get their mitts on it before (though some of the songs are also on the full-lengths). Rounding it out, Grave Desecrator has incorporated another rarity in their 2003 7" EP Cult of Warfare and Darkness, a brutal rendition of Bathory's "Sacrifice", which hails from a period of the Swedes' career which obviously had an enormous impact on these Brazilians; and there's a new studio cut which also reminds me of something that might have come off the Bathory s/t, mixed with a little Motörhead rock. The production here is a bit deeper than normally, but as far as the style it's one I hope will manifest on the next studio album.

Mileage is going to vary on this thing based upon whether or not you've already experienced the band or if you've got a chubby for the retro black/death aesthetic in general. I do feel it could have been more complete, including the tracks from their Tombs on Fire split and 2010 EP (which had a few cool covers), but the chances are that there were licensing mix ups or they just didn't want to render those recent works irrelevant just yet. If you did enjoy Sign of Doom or Insult, however, or you worship the old school or hybrid sounds you'll find on underground labels like Nuclear War Now!, Hell's Headbangers. Despise the Sun, etc, then dive on in, because the hellish magma's fine. Nothing original, but Grave Desecrator know how to stick a pitchfork into your face.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.gravedesecrator.com/

Mongrel's Cross - The Sins of Aquarius (2012)

Continuing the longstanding tradition of Australian savagery once heralded by groups like Bestial Warlust, Gospel of the Horns and Deströyer 666, Queensland trio Mongrel's Cross arrive with their first full-length The Sins of Aquarius, an act of barbaric bombast which could not be better suited to the Hells Headbangers Records imprint upon which it resides. I'm not implying that this accounts for any sense of predictability, only that the group resembles others in that particular stable in terms of how they strongly emphasize an old school sense of aggression that transcends any one genre. You could just as evenly brand The Sins of Aquarius a black, death or thrash metal record: it draws upon all of these influences in a way that recalls the early manifestations of deities like Bathory or Hellhammer, or perhaps the Brazilian forebears, while retaining its own core consistency.

There's certainly a tendency towards mid-paced, flooding walls of chords that cut at the soul much like the later 80s recordings of Bathory, but Mongrel's Cross also intersperse the occasional burst of blasted tremolo riffing. In fact, I'd say that, aside from its atmosphere, with that excellent swell of evil organs inaugurating the titular opening track, or the obscure Mazes and Monsters sample that leads into the hellish headrush of "Indulge the Temple", the bands forte is its ability to pace it itself out with these glorious, swaggering rhythms like the verse of "Lead Them from the Promised Land" that just make you want to place an axe into something living. Don't get me wrong, this isn't 'Viking' metal, but there's a related, muscular aesthetic at play through the burgeoning grooves and immense, crashing percussion that summons up the same testosterone you might have once felt for Blood Fire Death, only threaded with some pure death and thrash rhythms circa US underground sources of the 80s, and a more blunt, guttural vocal delivery from the guitarist 'Grand Mongrel' which beats on you like a meat tenderizer prepping you for the oven.

The Sins of Aquarius is not entirely wrought of the most memorable or unexpected stock, but moments like the breakout of the simple lead in "Hunters of the Born Again" kill me every time I hear them. The seven tracks all flow accordingly, like a slow and glorious spiral into hell fraught with the illest of intentions, and it benefits immensely from the raw, full production which manages to balance all the instruments into a loud and brute comprehension, whether the band is plowing ahead forcefully or breaking down for a choppier, percussive punk/thrash rhythm (like you'll hear in "Indulge the Temple"). The band could probably tweak a few better guitar lines into the formula, and the vocals could also use more variation and sickness, but on the whole, this is a solid and angry debut sure to sate advocates of old school black/thrash or black/death acts of decades past, or fellow Aussie groups like Hunters Moon, Shackles, and Denouncement Pyre.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/mongrelscross/

Synapses - Expiation (2012)

Italians Synapses have such a methodic, inhuman approach to their groove laden brutality that you might have lied to me that their debut Expiation was written by robots and I'd have feared for my safety. So precise and punctual are the double bass passages, percussive muted strings and the bludgeoning gutturals of Giovanni Canedoli that almost all sense of organic composition is eschewed; and yet the warm, almost jazz-like flood of bass and the band's flippant, manic bursts of elevated notes up and down the frets hint at a fleshier pulp alongside its more cybernetic aesthetics. Took me a few spins to really appreciate what these relative newcomers were bringing to the table, and I can't say that I enjoyed all its exhausting head beatings, but I have a feeling many necks will strain and ultimately break to this record's punishing whims.

When I say 'groove', these bastards take it to a whole other level, not necessarily with a 'djent' sort of chugging tone, but my pairing up the concussive guitars with a ton of straight double bass that lends itself well to the imminent fits of rhythmic convulsion that race off across the fret boards. Tunes like "The Iron Stream" and "The Rapture of Terror" are great examples of how the band uses this systematic hybrid of technical thrash and death discord over the popping and harried bass lines. Compared to the music beneath then, the vocals can often come across as rather one-note, I hear a bit of the usual brutal USDM timbre with perhaps a dash of Dutch influence circa Pestilence/Asphyx, and an added, ghastly sheen of rasps that help break up the threats of monotony. Actually, modern Pestilence is not a bad comparison for some of the choppy guitar riffs, or maybe some Cynic, Atheist, or Obscura-era Gorguts in there, but many listeners will likely draw references all over the spectrum.

The only major gripe I had with Expiation, outside the relative blandness of the vocals, was that the musicians seem so cognizant of jazz and progressive metal that I almost wished they would have taken more detours into period of 'calm' to create a greater contrast against all the aggression. As it stands, this album can be a headache in waiting, and I found it difficult to listen to more than 3-4 tunes in succession without needing a break. It's not because Synapses lack some variation: within this constant, hammering context of the songwriting they do attempt all manner of licks on the guitars to help distinguish the tracks, but I've love to hear what the Italians could come up with if they cast the net a little broader. Expiation should still turn a few heads, and snap the vertebrae supporting them, but ultimately the sheer burden of its rhythmic assertions was a wee bit tiring, and its pugilistic path a just a fraction too narrow. If you're seeking out acrobatic tech/death sans the 'core influences, this is one to watch out for, because there is talent aplenty to develop.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10] 

http://www.myspace.com/synapsesnet

Kreator - Phantom Antichrist (2012)

There's little better wed to the sweat-inducing vortex of a preemptive New England summer than a new studio statement from one of your favorite German thrash bands, and Kreator have seen fit to unleash Phantom Antichrist just in time to familiarize a surprisingly stable audience of both new and old for their upcoming tours and festival appearances. Placed on the group's chronological spectrum, I wouldn't say there's much new to this album that one mightn't have heard before in the past 25 years, but credit belongs to Mille Petrozza and his unstoppable armada for maintaining such a huge sense for scale after three decades of exhaustion, and for their ability to produce an album which is intelligent, contemporary and frankly competitive, making most of the youngsters invested in this genre seem pathetic by comparison.

With the exception of earlier records like Endless Pain and Pleasure to Kill, Phantom Antichrist draws upon a broad range of aesthetics from the band's backlog. You'll experience a lot of the emotion and melody that fueled efforts like Violent Revolution or the ill met Endorama. The surgical, manic, meticulous riffing that thrust Extreme Aggression and Coma of Souls into the spotlight. The political, lyrical unrest which saturated the more industrial-charged works Renewal and Outcast. And, perhaps most dominant, the refined production values which lent such a bright, bold punch to their most recent full-lengths Hordes of Chaos and Enemy of God, both of which were excellent in bringing the band back to the relevance that had been lacking since the early 90s. No one of these traits seems to supercede the others here, all are wrought impressively into a well paced and balanced record that shines in nearly every technical spec imaginable, with but a single caveat: this time around, the music doesn't quite stick with me like it has even on the album's direct predecessors.

There are some detailed, impeccable thrash hymns woven throughout the album which certainly catch the ear for a few spins, if not much more than that. "Phantom Antichrist" itself, and the following "Death to the World" were those I felt most drawn too, fiber optic aggressive precision anchored by loaded riffing sequences that reward both speed and variation, built for both moshing and reflection. Mille's vocals are incredibly well mixed to carry his volatile emotions, even when the actual prose seems rather weak or dabbles with the lyrical fixations of ethnic hostility and dystopian collapse that the band have admittedly delved into many times in the past. A few acoustic passages are spread throughout the track list, over which Petrozza manages not to entirely flub up some clean vocals, but I never felt like they added much to the album as a whole, not nearly so effective as, say, "When the Sun Burns Red", though clearly they were trying to reclaim that aesthetic on "United in Hate".

In fact, there seems a great deal of familiarity in the songwriting here, not so much that the band are directly aping themselves, but clearly were trying to reproduce the riffing architecture found in older compositions, to mixed results. Hordes of Chaos was indeed a divisive record, with some loving and others despising its direction, yet I felt like it took more chances than what I'm hearing on Phantom Antichrist; almost as if the band wanted to play it mildly safe and incestuous this time out. The melodies and leads are hardly cheap, all are effective and processed with the due competence of Sami and Mille, but they clearly adopt a more accessible tone with a broader appeal towards fans of Swedish melodeath (in this the album recalls Violent Revolution quite a lot). That said, this delirious balance of controlled bursts of brutality and melodic resonance is also a sign of the band's maturity, and hardly something to be scoffed upon.

Those with a particular, prehistoric hesitation towards anything the band has released post-Pleasure to Kill will remain alienated by the sound of this, and likely anything the band ever records again, but as a gateway for newer listeners, I think Phantom Antichrist will turn quite a few heads due to the high standards in engineering and the group's continued competence. At their heart, Kreator are still writing lyrics that will matter to some in this world, and they still place an enormous emphasis on the construction of their guitar progressions, a quality lacking in so many modern thrash acts. They've got little if anything to prove, after such a staunch and interesting career, and this is a scrupulous, dependable record, if not so stirring as many of their past experiences. About on par with Violent Revolution (with better production).

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (far beyond the lies)

http://kreator-terrorzone.de/