Devilworshipper

Heretic play slow black metal in the vein of early Barathrum, it's absolutely apparently, and by the way, on their debut demo "Thy Worship" (1997), they even played a cover song from the Barathrum's second album "Eerie". Although the Heretic's songs are very short for doom metal, and technically they aren't accepted as a doom metal band, nevertheless, it's quite possible that their music should be defined exactly as black/doom metal – similarly to their Finnish mentors.

However, unlike Barathrum, Heretic much more gravitate towards the founding fathers of the metal genre, that's why there is some... umph... some "rock 'n' roll component" in their music, although it can definitely be said that they don't play rock 'n' roll. Well, at least on the "Devilworshipper" album. On the other hand, it's quite natural that now (I haven't heard their latest stuff, but their music is progressing, well, in any sense, I guess) their style is defined exactly as black 'n' roll: once you start digging deeper than the Barathrum "layer", it will become as clear as day that it's Black Sabbath who is behind Heretic.

This is most noticeable in the fourth song "I Bring Chaos": it begins with a primitive guitar part totally in the vein of Black Sabbath, and the composition itself goes on completely in the spirit of Black Sabbath again, without any modern frills and complications in the structure. The same goes for the other songs as well, but not so obvious. Black Sabbath are considered the founders of heavy metal and doom metal, so maybe black metal can also be written on their account (well, it's a joke).

Anyway, although they (Black Sabbath) have left their obvious mark on "Devilworshipper", this album clearly means black metal – dirty, viscous, raw, and harsh. As if this work was created in the early 90s together with the foundational works by Beherit, Blasphemy and so on, the only difference is that it runs to the other extreme of black metal: not fast but slow. Add here the themes of the lyrics, which are rabid Satanism and barbaric Devilworshipping, as well as the terrible quality of the recording – it really hurts your ears. Yes, it's black metal. Even without a tremolo, as well as without blastbeat.

Almost all the songs are built according to the same scheme: at first Heretic play a slow "doom-ish" passage and then a turn of toe-tapping music comes. Or vice versa. Chords and riffs aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Perhaps the only originality in their music is percussion. For example, combative tamtam drums sound in the second song "Unholy Rites", and the fifth "Dark Antichrist" begins with no less warlike drums. And yet, at the end of the album, all the songs begin to run into one another, so you get bored.

However, the tenth track "We Will Destroy" inexplicably brings the listener back to life, perhaps due to the outrageously stupid chorus "We Will Destroy / We Shall Destroy." And finally, Heretic shine with originality: the eleventh song "Servants of Satan" has no drums, however, it really energizes with its harsh cries and the lacerated sound of a guitar. And twelfth "Tyrants of Evil" is some kind of post-punk with an impellent rhythm of drums. Unexpectedly, but interesting. I would also like to single out the seventh track "I Am the Demon King", it's even some kind of lyrical composition, the most heartfelt on the album, so to speak. And the eighth "Pure Goat Glorification" with its drastic parties is a bit reminiscent of early Bathory. That's all.

I would like to warn that bonus tracks on this reissue version (previously unreleased demo versions of songs) are recorded even worse. You can listen to both versions of the album one after the other only in a drunken stupor or, well, with a masochistic goal. I did this to clear my conscience, but it turned out to be real masochism. So, don't listen to the disc completely. But the album itself is grandiose.

Heretic have been around for a long time, and have plenty of albums and demos behidn them now stretching into the 1990s. Frontman "Thomas Goat" was involved with cult band Bestial Summoning in the capacity of lyric-writer, and he's been peddling this devil-worship thing for long enough for you to know he's not just in it for kicks alone. The band obviously loves raunchy, mean music and lives to spread unholy gospels. They seem to have kind of turned into a care-free heavy metal band lately, but I think that was maybe always their thing. Even though he tries to sort of "sing" nowadays, Goat still sounds abysmal and still yells out the sort of thing you might be embarrassed to be caught listening to in certain company.

Those of you who think of black metal as a flurry of blasting drums, widdly-doodly guitars and shrieking might be in for a surprise. This shit is filthy, plodding, and I suspect a good number of people would find it horrible. The songs crawl and stomp along, overcome with their own stench and in a kind of euphoric satanic daze. The bass is really loud, and the vocals are an overpowering, distorted howling that spews forth the simplest of invocations over and over again. Although it sounds like his microphone is broken and on the point of giving up in utter defeat, the lyrics are oddly comprehensible, and you'll hear phrases like “We fight for the glory of Satan!”, “Dark Anti-christ! Anti-christ!”, “We Destroy! You Obey!”, like hellish mantras. Solos? Frills? Forgetaboutit!!!!

You know what though? This is awesome. "Real black metal" may sound like a cliché phrase by this point, as may these sorts of ecstatic satanic lyrical hymns, but I mean it: This is where it started, a bunch of filthy, alcohol-soaked bastards in a crumby basement somewhere upsetting everyone in the neighbourhood with their totally unwholesome racket. They don't have to play fast, and probably couldn't for long anyway. They're mostly interested in hammering these brutally simpplistic, cave-man riffs into your skull until you feel about ready to explode! Listening to this now, I keep having this urge to crank it louder and louder. Sure, the sound is filthy and raw, but it's also great! The bass tone is marvelous, for one thing, and the drums have this nice solid thunk to them that you just don't hear much nowadays except in a band's rehearsal room. The cymbals are smashed with fervor and sound like a guy in a cave hitting a rock with a pickaxe. It's just gloriously heavy, while still being properly low-fi.

So, in some respects, this is "black metal by numbers", in principal, but it's also something special. If you think the old Barathrum stuff, you know, before they signed to a bigger label and cleaned up some of their noise, was really cool, you will probably like this a lot. Both bands keep it stripped down to absolute essentials most of the time, have a propensity for slower tempos and are obsssessed with the concept of devilworship. I find Heretic to be a little more direct, catchier and meaner-sounding. I don't want to overstate it, but I do feel a rock sensibility coming to the fore in much of this stuff: infernally catchy riffs, and the vocalist's complete devil-may-care (how apt) attitude toward singing. I love the way "Ultimate Evil" starts to launch into this galoping heavy metal part but is totally overwhelmed by an ear-splitting barrage of yelling and screaming. This guy just doesn't give a fuck for anyone's sensibilities! "We Will Destroy" nearly calms things down for a bit, featuring almost no percussion at all but a really neat little riff that I just couldn't get out of my head after hearing it. It's Heretic's take on a "contemplative" number, i suppose.

No doubt, this will be just too straight-forward and direct for some. However, I think more people could still do to discover this. The songs are all pretty short, so if you find something's starting to drag, it's not long before the band hits you with another idea. At heart, a lot of this is indeed basic rock stuff, but it's poured into this satanic filter that wraps it up in a stinking, ugly leper's garment and spits it back at you in its nastiest, most diseased form. You've got to turn this up really loud and revel in its obnoxious qualities. It's really the only way! You're welcome to hate this, too.