Review by Alex on December 19, 2020.

There's been much contest but this hands down makes it seem as though there had not been a competition in the first place. And to be honest, black metal is not a competition...... What better time than now to stray from modernity to the days of crumbling ancients. To finally immerse oneself in one's thoughts during the beauty and delight of this seclusion as it were a normality of past times. Vermineux offers a 50 minute demo, yes a demo that is sprawling and is also of the highest quality within black metal. Engineered by Minenwerfer vocalist, Spectre, 1337 follows 1315 that was previously released in 2018 by Vermineux that likewise, possessed a runtime of 50 minutes or so according to what I was able to pull up on Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. However; since I have not been able to sink into the previous work of Vermineux, I can't give account or make comparisons between the two releases; as far a 1337 goes however, it's a stellar work of black metal artistry that truly harkens back to aeons' elder and glorious.

It's ambient, lethal, all the while graceful and poignant, 1337 takes some of the best moments within the genre and consolidates them. Marked deeply by a classicism and scholarly character, 1337 appears to be unbothered by the ways of here and now, instead focusing only on recreating the damaged fabric of the genre. Spectre's voice on the demo is of sheer eldritch might, managing to exhibit vigor and stamina through his screams that aligns with the rhythms of melancholy or overwhelming aggression. The guitars with staggering precision connect its strings with the wailing cries of late first wave to early 2nd wave riffing, tremolo hooks and chords. Steadily becoming more and more of a challenge to the acoustic pieces, ambient intermezzos and chanting, the riff work on tracks the likes of 'Oriflamme', 'Bloodlines', 'Cotereaux' and 'Crécy' fight for the right to make a podium entry with regards to each instrumental addition to 1337. You'd have to dig for those moments of serenity but the reward is surely there for the disciplined and adventurous listener.

Ambient installments are done exceptionally well on 1337, it's almost as though they're presented in the most deceptive manner, with no real indication of when they would be introduced, instead are only weaved into the textures of the material soothingly and with a touch of antediluvian delicacy. You hear it in the backdrop of the acoustic rhythm and chants of 'A Ship is Burning' to tracks such as 'Valois' and 'Plantagenet' and are even featured on the more violent pieces such as 'Bloodlines' (watch out for the Inquisition riffing at 04:29). These ambient moments at times almost make you forget that the drums even exist. Giving one the impression that the drumming was merely a watchful associate to the rest of the music, only there to oversee and cast the foundation for it all to work; that at instances, even bring to mind the likes of Runespell or Blood Stronghold.

The production is as I would have expected it to be: ancestral. And the cover artwork would reel in anyone who appreciates this kind of effort. My only gripe with this Purity Through Fire release is that 1337 does not have a vinyl release set which is bothering to me. A recording this decorated deserves to be placed on the format. 1337 is a songbird to a time long gone with remnants of its existence held at heart by those who cherish it.

Rating: 9.7 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on October 21, 2019.

Admittedly, I gave up on looking for anything new or exciting in thrash metal. For me, it's a one-dimensional trek into galloping riffs and staunchly familiar, albeit engaging tones and structures. What once worked well in 1986 doesn't necessarily bode well for the modern day when it's all been done to death. I suppose my elder fangs are showing.

That said, Fanthrash, making its way from Poland, manages to at least create an interesting sound that, while familiar, manages to step outside the same-old and provide a pretty powerful trudging through the mire that is this re-thrash-hash. Further admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of the band name when I was first offered the album to review; I immediately conjured up a visual of some guys hanging out in a local metal watering hole and drunkenly proclaiming their notion to be the next saviors of metal music, come hell or high water and focusing on the first name that popped up. While I'm still not sold on the moniker, I have managed to take these guys a bit more seriously within the confines of the album, Kill the Phoenix.

I'll simply say that in the midst of this purported revival of thrash metal, there are very few bands worth mentioning. At all. Sure, you can throw names out into the large air and claim them to be viable implements for said genre, and you may very well be right, but as a guy who hastens to admit he's old enough to have seen the birth, triumph and eventual decline of thrash metal I guess I'm a bit tougher sell. I'll definitely say that Fanthrash has managed to shake the tree a bit and find some interesting time changes, vocal patterns and tempo structures that, while not totally new, are quite interesting lumped under the thrashing aspect of the album. Vocally the band comes across as more Vader than Slayer or Whiplash at times, which is a plus for the most part; I tend to prefer the deeper, more throaty bellowing than the familiar screeching or basic clean-tone wailing that is almost always out of time or Anthrax-boring. I will not use the term “nu-thrash” since I utterly despise those “nu” terms with all of my being, but I will say this “revival” of thrash is not so bad when hearing something like Kill the Phoenix.

I particularly like how the thrash herein is not so steeped in antiquity that it just sounds dated and thin; I'm not so sure if it's a generous mesh of production (something thrash was criminally devoid of for most of the 1980's unless you had Fleming Rassmussen on board) and style or just trying to reinvent some wheel along the way, but whatever the case may be Fanthrash has assembled a swift collective of tracks that momentarily defy convention and highlight metal as it should always be: without borders or limits. Sadly, this is never the case these days, as people feel the need to create genres on the spot and assign small corners of the world all to themselves. I don't get and I refuse to ever get it, but I digress. This defying of some convention is evident in select spots on the album, namely in the intro piece “Herald of the End,” which has some seemingly out-of-sync jazzy portions nicely throwing off the feel. If you dig some brief mental detours in your music, ingest away – dare I say it's fun?

All in all, it's a really solid effort by these Polska ragers; I actually could find myself listening to this brand of thrash more often. I now await the simple folks to argue and say it sucks because it isn't "their" thrash.

Damn right it isn't.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on October 21, 2019.

Admittedly, I gave up on looking for anything new or exciting in thrash metal. For me, it's a one-dimensional trek into galloping riffs and staunchly familiar, albeit engaging tones and structures. What once worked well in 1986 doesn't necessarily bode well for the modern day when it's all been done to death. I suppose my elder fangs are showing.

That said, Fanthrash, making its way from Poland, manages to at least create an interesting sound that, while familiar, manages to step outside the same-old and provide a pretty powerful trudging through the mire that is this re-thrash-hash. Further admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of the band name when I was first offered the album to review; I immediately conjured up a visual of some guys hanging out in a local metal watering hole and drunkenly proclaiming their notion to be the next saviors of metal music, come hell or high water and focusing on the first name that popped up. While I'm still not sold on the moniker, I have managed to take these guys a bit more seriously within the confines of the album, Kill the Phoenix.

I'll simply say that in the midst of this purported revival of thrash metal, there are very few bands worth mentioning. At all. Sure, you can throw names out into the large air and claim them to be viable implements for said genre, and you may very well be right, but as a guy who hastens to admit he's old enough to have seen the birth, triumph and eventual decline of thrash metal I guess I'm a bit tougher sell. I'll definitely say that Fanthrash has managed to shake the tree a bit and find some interesting time changes, vocal patterns and tempo structures that, while not totally new, are quite interesting lumped under the thrashing aspect of the album. Vocally the band comes across as more Vader than Slayer or Whiplash at times, which is a plus for the most part; I tend to prefer the deeper, more throaty bellowing than the familiar screeching or basic clean-tone wailing that is almost always out of time or Anthrax-boring. I will not use the term “nu-thrash” since I utterly despise those “nu” terms with all of my being, but I will say this “revival” of thrash is not so bad when hearing something like Kill the Phoenix.

I particularly like how the thrash herein is not so steeped in antiquity that it just sounds dated and thin; I'm not so sure if it's a generous mesh of production (something thrash was criminally devoid of for most of the 1980's unless you had Fleming Rassmussen on board) and style or just trying to reinvent some wheel along the way, but whatever the case may be Fanthrash has assembled a swift collective of tracks that momentarily defy convention and highlight metal as it should always be: without borders or limits. Sadly, this is never the case these days, as people feel the need to create genres on the spot and assign small corners of the world all to themselves. I don't get and I refuse to ever get it, but I digress. This defying of some convention is evident in select spots on the album, namely in the intro piece “Herald of the End,” which has some seemingly out-of-sync jazzy portions nicely throwing off the feel. If you dig some brief mental detours in your music, ingest away – dare I say it's fun?

All in all, it's a really solid effort by these Polska ragers; I actually could find myself listening to this brand of thrash more often. I now await the simple folks to argue and say it sucks because it isn't "their" thrash.

Damn right it isn't.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on October 21, 2019.

Admittedly, I gave up on looking for anything new or exciting in thrash metal. For me, it's a one-dimensional trek into galloping riffs and staunchly familiar, albeit engaging tones and structures. What once worked well in 1986 doesn't necessarily bode well for the modern day when it's all been done to death. I suppose my elder fangs are showing.

That said, Fanthrash, making its way from Poland, manages to at least create an interesting sound that, while familiar, manages to step outside the same-old and provide a pretty powerful trudging through the mire that is this re-thrash-hash. Further admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of the band name when I was first offered the album to review; I immediately conjured up a visual of some guys hanging out in a local metal watering hole and drunkenly proclaiming their notion to be the next saviors of metal music, come hell or high water and focusing on the first name that popped up. While I'm still not sold on the moniker, I have managed to take these guys a bit more seriously within the confines of the album, Kill the Phoenix.

I'll simply say that in the midst of this purported revival of thrash metal, there are very few bands worth mentioning. At all. Sure, you can throw names out into the large air and claim them to be viable implements for said genre, and you may very well be right, but as a guy who hastens to admit he's old enough to have seen the birth, triumph and eventual decline of thrash metal I guess I'm a bit tougher sell. I'll definitely say that Fanthrash has managed to shake the tree a bit and find some interesting time changes, vocal patterns and tempo structures that, while not totally new, are quite interesting lumped under the thrashing aspect of the album. Vocally the band comes across as more Vader than Slayer or Whiplash at times, which is a plus for the most part; I tend to prefer the deeper, more throaty bellowing than the familiar screeching or basic clean-tone wailing that is almost always out of time or Anthrax-boring. I will not use the term “nu-thrash” since I utterly despise those “nu” terms with all of my being, but I will say this “revival” of thrash is not so bad when hearing something like Kill the Phoenix.

I particularly like how the thrash herein is not so steeped in antiquity that it just sounds dated and thin; I'm not so sure if it's a generous mesh of production (something thrash was criminally devoid of for most of the 1980's unless you had Fleming Rassmussen on board) and style or just trying to reinvent some wheel along the way, but whatever the case may be Fanthrash has assembled a swift collective of tracks that momentarily defy convention and highlight metal as it should always be: without borders or limits. Sadly, this is never the case these days, as people feel the need to create genres on the spot and assign small corners of the world all to themselves. I don't get and I refuse to ever get it, but I digress. This defying of some convention is evident in select spots on the album, namely in the intro piece “Herald of the End,” which has some seemingly out-of-sync jazzy portions nicely throwing off the feel. If you dig some brief mental detours in your music, ingest away – dare I say it's fun?

All in all, it's a really solid effort by these Polska ragers; I actually could find myself listening to this brand of thrash more often. I now await the simple folks to argue and say it sucks because it isn't "their" thrash.

Damn right it isn't.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on October 21, 2019.

Admittedly, I gave up on looking for anything new or exciting in thrash metal. For me, it's a one-dimensional trek into galloping riffs and staunchly familiar, albeit engaging tones and structures. What once worked well in 1986 doesn't necessarily bode well for the modern day when it's all been done to death. I suppose my elder fangs are showing.

That said, Fanthrash, making its way from Poland, manages to at least create an interesting sound that, while familiar, manages to step outside the same-old and provide a pretty powerful trudging through the mire that is this re-thrash-hash. Further admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of the band name when I was first offered the album to review; I immediately conjured up a visual of some guys hanging out in a local metal watering hole and drunkenly proclaiming their notion to be the next saviors of metal music, come hell or high water and focusing on the first name that popped up. While I'm still not sold on the moniker, I have managed to take these guys a bit more seriously within the confines of the album, Kill the Phoenix.

I'll simply say that in the midst of this purported revival of thrash metal, there are very few bands worth mentioning. At all. Sure, you can throw names out into the large air and claim them to be viable implements for said genre, and you may very well be right, but as a guy who hastens to admit he's old enough to have seen the birth, triumph and eventual decline of thrash metal I guess I'm a bit tougher sell. I'll definitely say that Fanthrash has managed to shake the tree a bit and find some interesting time changes, vocal patterns and tempo structures that, while not totally new, are quite interesting lumped under the thrashing aspect of the album. Vocally the band comes across as more Vader than Slayer or Whiplash at times, which is a plus for the most part; I tend to prefer the deeper, more throaty bellowing than the familiar screeching or basic clean-tone wailing that is almost always out of time or Anthrax-boring. I will not use the term “nu-thrash” since I utterly despise those “nu” terms with all of my being, but I will say this “revival” of thrash is not so bad when hearing something like Kill the Phoenix.

I particularly like how the thrash herein is not so steeped in antiquity that it just sounds dated and thin; I'm not so sure if it's a generous mesh of production (something thrash was criminally devoid of for most of the 1980's unless you had Fleming Rassmussen on board) and style or just trying to reinvent some wheel along the way, but whatever the case may be Fanthrash has assembled a swift collective of tracks that momentarily defy convention and highlight metal as it should always be: without borders or limits. Sadly, this is never the case these days, as people feel the need to create genres on the spot and assign small corners of the world all to themselves. I don't get and I refuse to ever get it, but I digress. This defying of some convention is evident in select spots on the album, namely in the intro piece “Herald of the End,” which has some seemingly out-of-sync jazzy portions nicely throwing off the feel. If you dig some brief mental detours in your music, ingest away – dare I say it's fun?

All in all, it's a really solid effort by these Polska ragers; I actually could find myself listening to this brand of thrash more often. I now await the simple folks to argue and say it sucks because it isn't "their" thrash.

Damn right it isn't.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 9, 2019.

Samael have taken their listeners on a long journey. It began with Worship Him and it still has not come to an end. Nevertheless, it is already clear that their trip from a pitch-black debut to electronic, danceable sounds is remarkable. (Danceable for people with normal motor skills, not for me.) Unfortunately, the here reviewed album has nothing that deserves the aforementioned attribute. Frankly speaking, I never understood the enthusiasm for Worship Him.

The songs are lame, they want to be atmospheric, but they fail to create appropriate feelings. A crucial factor are the guitars, because they do not deliver outstanding riffs, massive leads or anything else that attract my attention. "Knowledge of the Ancient Kingdom" is the first track with a more or less enthralling guitar line, but everything remains fragmentary. The Swiss dudes deliver songs with breaks for the sake of itself, the song-writing skills are still in their infancy and memorable parts do not show up. I respect the musician's intention to create an album of pure blackness, but this does not mean that I like the result. For example, the lead singer tries to create tension at the beginning of the chorus of "Into the Pentagram", but the guitars sound sleepy and uninspired. Another wasted opportunity.

Maybe I jump to conclusions, but my geographically inspired assumption is that the guys were influenced by Hellhammer / Celtic Frost. This could explain why the band presents so many slow- or mid-paced sections, just think of some sluggishly creeping monsters of the legendary formation(s). But the total commitment to the eternal blackness is missing - or Samael are simply not able to express it. In hindsight, Vorphalack has used the word primitive to describe the record. I would not go that far, because Samael try to vary their tunes. However, they do not achieve the intended effect. Too many section just pass by, they remain faceless and taste vapid. The lyrics also fail to deliver interesting aspects. Buzzwords like "Cthulu", "Death" and "Pentagram" alone are not enough to create interesting poetry.

Few songs are pretty decent, for example the pretty fast and slightly horrific "Black Face" or "The Dark", an instrumental. It is more or less the only song with a good drive, a lively and powerful configuration and a tight interplay of guitars and rhythm section. Yet most pieces go hand in hand with the pretty flat production. The relatively powerless mix fails to give the unripe material a professional touch. The raw vocals are put in the right position, but the overall picture of the sound leaves me cold. In short, this album gathers dusk on my shelf, together with miserable works such as Master's or Immolation's debut ("Dawn of Possession" has an average of 92%? Are you kidding? No? What the hell is wrong with me?). Thank God, unlike Master or Immolation, Samael were still growing. Blood Ritual and in particular Ceremony of Opposites provide evidence.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 9, 2019.

Samael have taken their listeners on a long journey. It began with Worship Him and it still has not come to an end. Nevertheless, it is already clear that their trip from a pitch-black debut to electronic, danceable sounds is remarkable. (Danceable for people with normal motor skills, not for me.) Unfortunately, the here reviewed album has nothing that deserves the aforementioned attribute. Frankly speaking, I never understood the enthusiasm for Worship Him.

The songs are lame, they want to be atmospheric, but they fail to create appropriate feelings. A crucial factor are the guitars, because they do not deliver outstanding riffs, massive leads or anything else that attract my attention. "Knowledge of the Ancient Kingdom" is the first track with a more or less enthralling guitar line, but everything remains fragmentary. The Swiss dudes deliver songs with breaks for the sake of itself, the song-writing skills are still in their infancy and memorable parts do not show up. I respect the musician's intention to create an album of pure blackness, but this does not mean that I like the result. For example, the lead singer tries to create tension at the beginning of the chorus of "Into the Pentagram", but the guitars sound sleepy and uninspired. Another wasted opportunity.

Maybe I jump to conclusions, but my geographically inspired assumption is that the guys were influenced by Hellhammer / Celtic Frost. This could explain why the band presents so many slow- or mid-paced sections, just think of some sluggishly creeping monsters of the legendary formation(s). But the total commitment to the eternal blackness is missing - or Samael are simply not able to express it. In hindsight, Vorphalack has used the word primitive to describe the record. I would not go that far, because Samael try to vary their tunes. However, they do not achieve the intended effect. Too many section just pass by, they remain faceless and taste vapid. The lyrics also fail to deliver interesting aspects. Buzzwords like "Cthulu", "Death" and "Pentagram" alone are not enough to create interesting poetry.

Few songs are pretty decent, for example the pretty fast and slightly horrific "Black Face" or "The Dark", an instrumental. It is more or less the only song with a good drive, a lively and powerful configuration and a tight interplay of guitars and rhythm section. Yet most pieces go hand in hand with the pretty flat production. The relatively powerless mix fails to give the unripe material a professional touch. The raw vocals are put in the right position, but the overall picture of the sound leaves me cold. In short, this album gathers dusk on my shelf, together with miserable works such as Master's or Immolation's debut ("Dawn of Possession" has an average of 92%? Are you kidding? No? What the hell is wrong with me?). Thank God, unlike Master or Immolation, Samael were still growing. Blood Ritual and in particular Ceremony of Opposites provide evidence.

Rating: 4 out of 10