Lord Impaler - Babylon Whore

Review by Andy Osborn.


In my musical quests I generally seek out more the more convoluted subgenres of the dark arts, but there's something about the summer months that brings forth a need to revel in the power of ripping, no-nonsense black metal. For reasons I can’t explain the warm sunshine just pairs well with corpse paint and nail gauntlet wearer’s creations. Marduk's Serpent Sermon filled that void perfectly last year, and this two song release is currently worming its way into my sweaty ear canals and staying put. And like the aforementioned filthy Swedes, these relentless Greeks inject an undeniable sense of groove into their murk, making for a pleasantly catchy distraction from the heat.

Though the band has been around for a decade and a half this is only their second proper release, following on the heels of a 2011 full-length which featured Mayhem’s Hellhammer on drums. At under 10 minutes, this mini EP is obviously teetering on the edge of brevity, but that’s all the band needs to explain their craft and win over new legions. And while the venom spewed forth from Lord Impaler may be straightforward, it's far from simplistic. Infectious as a viral outbreak, every individual piece of the two track pair stands out. Blood curdling vocals, varied but relentless blasts and a knack for bridges and dizzying fretwork fuel the onslaught. The titular track is the definite stand-out and explosive from the start, but “The White Dream of Ziz” makes its darker intentions known with a bit of patience and calls you to listen again and again. Lord Impaler isn’t going to shatter any boundaries with these two tracks, but black metal isn’t about progress. It’s about destruction, and Babylon Whore devastates.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]