Liste des groupes Death Black Bestial Raids Prime Evil Damnation

Ever since my first encounter with raw black/death metal in the veins of bands such as Archgoat, I have been fascinated in seeking out bands that play in similar styles. Bestial Raids and Embrace of Thorns come close, but the former's 2007 release Reversed Black Trinity somehow failed to have the charm to really captivate me despite being an awesome release in itself. 2011 sees the release of the band's sophomore full length album, Prime Evil Damnation, and now under the banner of Nuclear War Now! Productions, this promises to be an album well worth the 4 year wait.

The ominous sound on the intro of Virginborn of Depravation sets the mood right, placing the listener straight into a haunting atmosphere, and without warning a whole cacophony of instruments hit the listener relentlessly. The atmosphere is further held up by the echoey vocals of Sadist, sounding like a cross between Archgoat's Lord Angelslayer and Black Witchery's Impurath, making this the most perfect vocal styling personally. This is backed by the chainsaw-buzz tone of the guitars of Niecron. Desolator punishes the drums relentlessly and hints of influences from drummers of other such bestial bands like Revenge's J. Read and Black Witchery's Vaz surface from time to time.

This dark atmosphere, shrouded in darkness and heaviness is what I have been looking for ever since the first encounters with Archgoat. The inclusion of sound samples such as the tolling of the bells further bring about this resemblance, making this record all the more enjoyable. The samples of troops marching on Ceremonial Bloodshed further emphasises the destructive mood in the music, giving the song a martial feel. Bestial Raids, though, pushes the limits even further with the incorporation of different ideas throughout the album instead of simply providing a continuous blast-fest, with slower moments like on the intro of Debauchery Enthroned (Elixir Rubeus) seeing the band attempt to create and maintain the atmosphere further, and leaving the listener with a feeling of dread about the impeding doom that is about to descend. Throughout the album as well, there is an uncanny resemblance between this album and Antediluvian's latest, Through the Cervix of Hawaah, especially in terms of the bass heavy mix of the album.

If you thought that 2007's Reversed Black Trinity was a good effort, then Prime Evil Damnation will not be a disappointment, with this release seeing the band further grow as musicians and as a unit, unleashing even more blasphemous hate than before.