Review by Kate on March 27, 2011.

Hailing from New Jersey, Krieg is bringing us something more than just your typical Black Metal album. They dare to delve deeper into more experimental sounds and darker realms with their latest album “The Isolationist”. Imperial’s vocals come across with devastation that fills you with a sense of anxiety that you can’t quite explain. They also come across very distinctly in almost a hypnotizing manner.

The haunting track 'Photographs From An Asylum' throws you into an abyss with Imperial’s screams of horror and growls that ooze out in the darkness. Supplied by insane blast beats and riffs that supply a certain rhythm in between all of the madness; this one of their tracks that stood out to me the most. 'All Paths To God' starts out in a chugging manner but then breaks into a pattern that has no rhyme or reason to it and then goes back into that rhythmic movement, it completely fits in with the whole feel of the album. 'Depakote' starts out very aggressive but then goes into this bizarre state where Imperial sounds almost possessed and keeps you in a trance for about two minutes before it goes back to its original brutal form. Very bizarre but well done! 'Blue Of Noon' goes back to more of a traditional Black Metal sound but it never drops the intensity level in any way. '…And The Stars Fell On' is another track that stands out with a great riff that’s played throughout and keeps wrapping itself into your psyche until the very end where it’s cut off by a sharp static at the end. 'Remission' is a warped track that has you feeling like you’re tripping on some acid and it just won’t wear off no matter what and 'Dead Windows' finally finishes you with another fantastic riff and Imperial’s savage vocals.

The music is complex and the performed at top notch, I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I first heard this but “The Isolationist” is a compelling album that will always keep you wondering as to what’s coming next.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.0
Production: 8.0
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8.0

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Adam M on September 5, 2011.

Hero’s Last Rite performs a Slayer influenced brand of Thrash that is mixed with some obvious core influences. The music played by this band is fiery and powerful and this is demonstrated early in the proceedings with the highlight title track. This song will get the juices flowing with its aggressive nature and memorable chorus.

The music on this disc is more comparable to Slayer circa "Seasons In The Abyss" than the classic "Reign In Blood" because of the slightly more open-ended approach the band takes. There is some melody to these tracks and not pure punishment at every second as well. One can see variation added in tracks like 'Shame', which features some stellar solos to break up the pacing. Also, the transition from the storming 'Why We Die' into the pretty closing acoustic track 'Bleed' is effective.

For the most part, the music shows a fairly high tempo, however and remains fairly gripping. There is a lack of polish that prevents this from ever reaching the status set by Slayer with their greatest works and it does make the recording feel slightly underdeveloped. The musicianship is pretty tight, but it could be tighter and the vocals are rough around the edges. It’s these issues that make this a solid release, but a far from spectacular one by any stretch of the imagination.

Fans of both Thrash and Hardcore together will be the ones that derive the most enjoyment out of the release because it’s a hybrid of sorts, despite sticking to a rigid mindset. I had a good deal of fun with "Inevitable Is The End". It’s well performed, but lacks a bit of spark and refinement.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7.5
Production: 7
Originality: 6.5
Overall: 7.0

Rating: 7.1 out of 10