Graveripper : "From Welkin to Tundra"

A darker, more aggressive form of thrash flows through the veins of Graveripper. You can hear traces of bands like Sodom, who came before bands were really being called black metal, despite how in league with Satan they were. These guys are increasingly aggressive with each song, so that by the time you are at the blazing fast razor sharp barrage that is "Hexenhammer," the assault is racing past you faster than you can absorb what is going on. I can hear how this would appeal to fans of bands like Destroyer 666, which take a more old-school approach to black metal.  

They do not relent with the fury that is "Death's Cold Embrace". By the time we get to "Sanctioned Slaughter," it is clear that the speed thing has pretty much numbed your ears out, and I am going to need some hooky riffs from them for them to keep my attention. There is a cool riff buried in "Hounds From Hell," but it is lost in the onslaught of speed."New Gods New Masters" finds the vocals more intentional, which goes a long way to help songwriting, and it does not force them to compromise their need for speed. 

"And Now It's Dark" breaks things down to the driving bass line that also helps, though it touches on a more punk energy. The rest of the album begins to race by in such a way that it does not demand my attention, and it feels like they are more concerned with maintaining the intensity of a sound than writing songs. I will give this an 8, which is generous enough. Out on Wise Blood Records. 

pst518