'Bestial' black metal is one of the more prolific subgenres these days. New bands seem to pop up on a weekly basis to display their affinity for Sarcofago, Blasphemy, Von, Profanatica, etc. New Zealand is notorious for part of this resurgence, with bands like Diocletian and Witchrist. Heresiarch which contains members of Diocletian debuted with their EP Hammer Of Intransigence after releasing a demo in early 2011. Heresiarch's brand of bestial black metal is similar to all the aforementioned bands with an added dose of that "war metal" feel that the genre is known for.
Air raid sirens blaring, "Carnivore" starts the war march and it doesn't end until "Intransigent" is finished. Militant, snare-dominated blasting really pervades Hammer Of Intransigence through and through. There are a few slower breaks like in the latter half of "Carnivore," and of course there's the intro track "Abomination" which is, like 99% of ambient intro tracks, worthless. The rest of the album sticks to the familiar: blastbeats, 'bestial' chords, and a primitive tone. They work the familiar pretty competently as well. The production is also pretty fitting if nothing special.
Honestly the artwork is probably the best part of this album. It's colorful with the symbol of chaos brazened above a pile of skulls. Very metal, very well done, and the color scheme is perfect. Sadly the rest of the album isn't as great. Just more cannon-fodder for the bestial war march.
6.0 out of 10
Tracklisting:
| 1. | Abomination | ||
| 2. | Carnivore | ||
| 3. | Iconoclasm | ||
| 4. | Thunorrad | ||
| 5. | Conflagration | ||
| 6. | Intransigent |
No comments:
Post a Comment