ALBUM REVIEW: Bastardizer – Dawn Of Domination

Here I review the brand new second album of Australian Blackened Thrash Metallers BASTARDIZER!

1. Dawn of Domination opens with old school guitar chord oriented riffs, great use of snare drum with a militant beat to it, gorgeous lead and bass tones that all combined with the great production to make this truly epic 80s feel to the introduction.
2. A Dose of Vengeance tears right into things with a really Thrashy instrumental section but some killer Black Metal vocals really breaking through nicely. There is a vibe of bands like Sarcofago, Deathhammer and Vulcano from the beginning which is killer, I love those bands. The dark aggression and in your face pace of the track are really catchy and just full of maddening chaos. The vocals sound somewhat like Nattefrost from Carpathian Forest which is really cool. The guitar solo was perfectly placed and a nice flourish was added to the song by it. The howled vocals over such upbeat and furious music make a really cool combination. Killer opening track!
3. Crimson Trenches punches in with full force and no holds barred, unrelenting hatred once more. The vocals really soar and come through the mix nicely with some beautifully put together tremolo riffs and killer drums really giving this some nice groove to it. The Darkthrone and Carpathian Forest influences are unmistakable but the band really take those sounds and create something original, unique and spectacular. The thrashing elements really give the song a nice bite to it that hammers out morbid vibes with no weakness. Excellent!
4. Death Cult brings in the classic NWOBHM song structures but with added misanthropic fuelling and so much immense drumming that elevate the guitar and bass sections into some really nice chaotic territories. The lyrics have a really cool Venom worship feel to them and the gruesome vocalist performs them brilliantly. The tremolo riffs add so much strength and bleak assault to the track taking it into a whole new soundscape, more akin to 90s Norwegian Black Metal but still not losing the thrashing drums and in your face sleaze of the track.
5. Demons Unleashed draws yet more full on attack into fruition with awesome riffs, killer drums and just so much fury in the vocals. There is a really badass and dangerous feel to the music that really sounds like it has been torn from the later half of the 80s with some gorgeously occult lyrics grasping my attention and such strong, primal instrumental sections really backing it up nicely. The bass player has so much punch to his sound, which really caught me attention, especially along this song. The violent feel of the song is matched by some nice threats found within the howls of the frontman. Great stuff, once more!
6. Whiskey ‘Til Death opens with some nice Motorhead vibes from the bass to the chaotically intense guitar riffing madness that immediately ensues. This song from the off tears away any doubts you may have of the relevance of this kind of music, forcing its way into your ears with so much fury you would be foolish to reject the awesome musical assaults of the band. Unrelenting and vitriolic throughout, amazing! Loved the outro too!
7. Up the Ante does what it describes beautifully kicking into more thrashing attacks! The tracks all pretty much follow on from the last, not really experimenting much but doing their thing really well and the solid attack has not taken a breather yet. The guitar and bass work is simple but incredibly effective, the drums a ridiculously fast and upbeat which sound killer with the tight yet old school mix and gnarly vocals! The track is really gripping and catchy with an enticingly chaotic feel that breaks up nicely in the mid section to be restored to its full glory afterwards. The bluesy, shredded guitar solo was really damn tasty too! Nicely done guys!
8. Hellions of the Oath opens with killer drum fills and more brilliant upbeat madness too. This track has a really strong Black n Roll vibe to it with the primitively great guitar and bass playing that thunderously and abruptly attacks the listener over the sheerly furious drums and topped with nicely screeched vocal madness. The punchy groove of the mid section really does make you want to head bang with its catchy grinding menace taking thing to a whole new level. The Punk elements found throughout the release but really shine through in this track certainly add to the already impressive fury of the music. As mentioned earlier in the album this is a really gorgeous sense of danger to the sound, it’s awesome.
9. Midnight in Hell comes in with gnarly guitars and shouted vocals, the drums and bass completing things with chaos once more and a lovely high scream from the singer. This track is total carnage in the best possible way, reaping through any safety net that modern music may have created with its old school and primal assault packed with violence and madness. This song is absolutely killer, groovy, catchy and just perfectly enjoyable. Really well put together track!
10. Mongrels’ Wrath / The Depraved Nazarene Whore once more blasts into existence with beautifully put together guitar riffs, punchy drums and grinding bass really kicking into the mix as the album is getting towards its end the band show no regard for the incoming end, just belting out as much awesome music as they possible can. The Black Metal and Thrash Metal elements the bands have fused together so brilliantly seem to meet perfectly in the middle of this song with a precise 50/50 balance seeming to take place that sounds absolutely killer. The build up around the middle accentuates the fury of the song even further and its just a feast of old school Black Thrash frenzy. Excellently stampeding Extreme Metal assault!
11. Unholy Allegiance is the end of the album but doesn’t show anything that would make you think it was with its fast attack and evident wish to get one last completely insane piece of Metal mayhem packed into the ending! The song, like the rest follows the same formula but with some tasteful lead guitar work and a really strong consistency that has lasted throughout the album, showing no signs of ending the freight train of forceful noise we have encountered.  The song seems to storm out with a stubborn aggression that I really though was epic, great work!

This is some purely feral and violent Black-Thrash madness. Absolutely killer album full of unaltered aggression and seriously ferocious songwriting. Great work throughout this insanely full on and intense release! -7.5/10