ALBUM REVIEW: Slaughter Messiah – Cursed To The Pyre

In the underground scene of Belgium, there has been murmurs surrounding shorter releases (namely two demos and three EP’s) of a band named SLAUGHTER MESSIAH, whom have now offered their debut full length of Extreme Metal annihilation. Out via High Roller Records on February 21st.

Opening with cascading lead guitars over foreboding chords, there is alright a mighty sense of something hellishly demonic, which grows with simplistic drum beats and roaring vocals before the band descend into maniacal Blackened Thrash assaults. The harrowing extremity is akin to many South American bands whom had no regard for genre, mixing Death, Black and Thrash simply as Heavy Metal in its most rampaging and ferocious form, something I have always held in the highest regard, something that Slaughter Messiah deliver incredibly well with marvellously primitive songwriting filled with energetic musicianship and savage riffs over hammering drums to back up the insanity the vocalist offers. Blistering solos complete the old school onslaught with the guitarist ripping lead work of the rhythmic convulsions beneath, beautifully so.

There are quite a few bands these days doing the whole Sarcofago / Vulcano / Holocausto kind of thing and this is definitely one of the stronger versions I have heard with a totally ravaging blizzard of all things Metal. The band add plentiful tension with slowed doing atmospherics which never stay too long before another inferno of Heavy Metal artillery is launched into the ears with full force. If you like your Heavy Metal to be based around savage riffs, barbaric drums and with a maniac rasping out vocals, this album needs to be one you check out as this record delivers the complete package of old school Extreme Metal devastation perfectly. With unrivalled aggression, volatile song structures and plenty of bite from start to end, there is no point where boredom can creep in, this album is far too relentless.

Brutally unforgiving, dauntingly tense and ravenously fast, this record will obliterate everything in its path. The blackened flame burns pure and unaltered at the heart of this inferno of extremity. -9/10