Blood for Satan

The material on this album couldn't hope to match the coverphoto, could it? But what does it sound like, hmmmm? It is competent black metal, but really nothing new in any sense of the word. Vocalist Prophet Hoath Wrath is in the mid-to-high sneering shriek range. There are times when he sounds like wee Dani Filth's midrange spiteful lyric-spitting, and other times he brings to mind SUPER-EVIL-GUY Glen Benton of Deicide, though there is very little of his low-pitch growling; it is more in the way 2 distinct vocal tracks are blended from time to time. Musically, I heard some Deicide influence on here, as well...but not very much. The guitars are very trebly, with a sound approaching the ripping of sheet metal. In a good way, of course. The drums and bass work together to construct that "steamhammer" sound, very machine-gunning and steady, with a few explosive bursts from time to time to keep the listener interested. There's not much else to say about the music; it combines all the elements we've heard many times before...never too boring, but never too exciting. I will say that it is not very "orthodox necro", more along the lines of more recent Marduk, but without the innovation.

The production struck me as pretty similar to another Necropolis(the version I have is on that) release, by the band War. Extremely shrill and treble-heavy, but not in a "primitive" way; perhaps a close example would be the sound Asphyx got with their first 2 albums, though this is not as "crushingly heavy". So the production is adequate, and I suppose superior to many black metal releases.

I got kind've a laugh from how damn HARD the band was trying to impress us on the validity of their super Satanic beliefs. Tried about 23% too hard, to the point of venturing into parody. There are a few samples on this album, and when I tell you that they are from "Evil Dead", "Exorcist III"(just GUESS which ones from that film!) and "Children of the Corn", among others, you can surmise for yourself how less-than-original this release is. Some of the samples fit well, others get pretty tedious.

In summation, the album is a pretty enjoyable listen, but there is nothing to elevate it to anything higher than "average". Except for that bitchin' cover photo!