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One of the best offers of current Norwegian scene is back.
Call them black metal or extreme metal, the fact is that Vredehammer managed to record a classic and all totally done by the hands of Per Valla and nobody else. Normally albums like that has a bit of monotony not the case here. (PS: all drums are managed by Nils “Dominator” Fjellström)
For example, the killer From The Abyss sends flak all around and with black metal riffs that will send chills down your spine with the accuracy of a band that is getting bigger and better by the day.
Another example of that is the military beginning of The Joker that somewhat resounds like Enslaved (don’t ask me why) with hard bits of thrash metal and fastest black metal at the same time, making this piece very solid and aggressive.
The title track has bona fide thrash metal riffs with the black metal velocity (you may think it is the same of the aforementioned song but it is not. For example, fans of Immortal will love this one, and as almost always say I’m not trying to mean Vredehhamer are imitating his pals, just that is for the fans of… if you know what I mean.
Now The Dragons Burn is pure black metal even if Per Valla calls his sound otherwise. Impossible to not notice that! This song has the drive and force to attack in any direction with a forceful drumming that is very headbanging. The best song of the album. Maybe. Fans of Sarke will love this one.
Fastness, hate and desolation can be found in the track Blood of Wolves (one of the most interesting in the album due to some elements strange to black metal), over again showing that Per Valla is the lord of the riffs while in the track Death Becomes The New Day, the now-one-man-band, sounds a little bit spatial with castigating drumming and pure mystical riffs and a heaviness not encountered everyday in the extreme metal scene. A little classic.
Coming by the final of this magistral album enters the song Product Human Slave that definitely escapes the black metal formula without losing the cohesive factor of the disc, that is to say the band don’t deviate the path whilst Obliterator also follows almost the same path never losing the verve and making this one a great surprise of the year.
For those who were waiting, it was worth it. For those who not, even better, because a good surprise is something people aren’t getting nowadays. Listen until your ears bleed.
God Slayer is out on May 24th on Indie Recordings.
Rating: 9/10
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Roderick Blutrache
Dark Souls United 