ALBUM REVIEW: Blood Chalice – The Blasphemous Psalms Of Cannibalism

Finnish bestial Black-Death Metal titans BLOOD CHALICE will finally return with their 2nd album. The debut is one of my favourite records of the style, so anticipation is high. This new opus is set for release via Werewolf Records on September 9th.

Violent riffing and thunderous drums set the blasphemous scene without a flimsy introduction to waste time, delving right into the pits of hellish extremity from the get-go. The vocal performance is savage, spewing ritualistic incantations with remorseless delivery to sit upon the skeletal throne of crushing instrumental hammering. Crawling with a pestilent filth, the slower moving guitars occasionally seep into to conjure a more hallowed atmosphere while the drummer hits snare with tectonic force. These moments inject further animalistic fury into the record while the insanely fast blasting sections remind us that Blood Chalice’s sonic artillery is merciless. Muscular delivery of their psalms is always present, abusing the ears with the most ferocious playing that is easy to tell comes from genuinely impassioned delivery rather than post-production tricks, this is authentically fierce. Thusly the opening moments of the record showcase Blood Chalice’s return is one of triumphant destruction and apocalyptic soundscapes.

Annihilating all with their chasm-opening brand of barbarity, it is magnificent to see this horde of maniacs playing with dynamics to unpredictable and impressive degrees. While those typical War Metal traits are here in abundance, and we wouldn’t want them not to be, there is also more than enough character of Blood Chalice’s own to show while wearing their adorations for bands like Conqueror, Blasphemy, Revenge and Beherit on their sleeves (literally if you examine the members tattoos), they aren’t merely a clone. This middle-ground of idolisation and yet having an actual identity has been a huge asset to the band throughout their career and is doubly true on the new record. Those doomy, Archgoat-like grooves are utterly contagious, sending the body into headbanging convulsions while the ripping force of blast-beats and riff savagery is never far from throwing a spearhead straight through your skull.

One interesting note, while both records consist of 12 songs, this new opus is about 45 minutes while the debut is under 30. This means the tracks are obviously longer, which thankfully has not removed any of the urgency of aggression from the songs (of which there are plenty short and maniacal bursts) while allowing the atmospheric side of things to grow a bit more while retaining the volatility in their sound which has been a hallmark of the band since their demo. Running rampant, the chaotic elements of Blood Chalice’s sound have not been polished out of existence, yet are contrasted by cleverly placed breathers which lull you into a false security before tearing the chest apart with a flesh-hungry and feral bout of viscerally blasphemous brutality. A quencher for the thirst for violence and sacrilege, filling the chalices raised to evil. This album is a perfect soundtrack to mania, mayhem and malice which rewards the profane with nothing short of spiritual fuel for the diabolical soul.

Here lies a record that will instantly send softer souls running for cover while enticing in the wicked and blasphemers with a sonic blend of succulent savagery that splits crosses and summons demonic forces from its first few seconds. Truly the epitome of real War Metal with a violent sound, unpolished and yet not flimsy production and utterly bestial musicianship. Formidable songwriting is carried by a pungent, blood-soaked rage in their playing which cannot be falsified. This is a true “Antichristian War Declaration”!