Review by Fran on December 8, 2020.

“You always judge me for your actions
I demand the glory, credit and worship
Forever and always”

I love the tyrannical tone from the Old Testament god these guys use in their lyrics, that are actually biblical passages of the Russian Orthodox Church. Even if it’s somehow ambiguous, my interpretation is that religious institutions twisted the messages from the first spiritual masters so blasphemy becomes redundant; you just have to expose them as the bullshit they are, decorated with some melodic but dense black metal -blastbeats and 7 string guitars included- plus some sort of Gregorian chant and the result is marvellous. Batushka isn't reinventing metal but they take all the points in originality and satanism. Their live act looks killer too.

Vocals consist of a mix of traditional high pitched black metal shrieks, with deep and low but clean choruses, that add the cathedratic effect distinctive of the band. Lyrics are written in some old Russian dead language, using the Cyrillic alphabet as you can see displayed in this website. I found this detail refreshing and interesting, extreme metal is known for indistinguishable vocals anyway. The energy they transmit is stronger than words. The string department is conformed by thick sounding guitars, mostly down tuned but sometimes doubled by higher octaves to highlight melodies. Bass guitar isn't particularly outstanding but helps the band to achieve a “surround” feel.

Besides the classic distorted strings, there are some fragments of the album that feature acoustic instruments, that desaturate the massive body of their intense counterparts the album is mostly about. Aggressive percussion is present, fast and relentless high tempos adorn the blast beats and make the melodies even more trance-like. Accelerated tupa-tupa thrash beats remind you of the roots of black metal, but are often used. Some intros and slow and mysterious passages feature atypical percussive instruments that sound kind of ethnic and develop a ritualistic atmosphere, present in different shapes but constantly through the whole album.

Composition is simple, compared to technical bands, but very effective. You can feel how every instrument is oriented to develop the same feeling in every different part of the album. You could say that simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication here, that statement works pretty well for Batushka. Nowadays it is hard to hear innovative bands, pretty much everything is already invented but these guys managed to pull a refreshing sounding brand of black metal and I'm looking forward to seeing them live next year because of that. I recommend this record to any black metal fan longing for a refreshing listen.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 22, 2019.

You know the story of the two sides of the coin, don't you? Black metal from Québec is one of these coins. Some say that all bands have the same sound and the same approach, but others are of the opinion that these bands have created a new style under the banner of "métal noir québécois". Well, maybe it's no new style, but an unmistakable identity. Délétère play exactly the style that everybody has in mind when it comes to the francophone Canadian metropolis. Sound cascades like waterfalls take possession of the listener and draw her or him into a nightmarish scenario. Almost overlong song patterns and guitar lines which are sometimes repetitive but always effective set the right frame for a trip to the end of time and back.

Délétère are not lazy and therefore they deliver three new songs, even though their last album is just eleven months old. That's a remarkably short period, but who wants to stop creative people as long as they write fanatic black metal tunes? Me not. Speaking of creativity, the promo sheet wants to make us believe that "Délétère distills its very own essence of powerful, raw, and melodic black metal", but to mention a very own essence is ridiculous. As mentioned above, the opposite is true. The formation does not hurt the guidelines of the sub-genre and I enjoy it the way it is. The three tracks cover all facets of MNQ movement and the profound, alternating anthemic or fast guitar lines prevent any form of boredom. Of course, the bar has been set very high by De Horae Leprae, but the EP is willing and - nearly - able to challenge this mighty album. Sacral keyboards add an atmospheric touch and lend the opener an eldritch touch. However, the band mostly prefers fast sequences, in short, the here presented songs exactly follow the route that the band's previous material has already taken. Fans of the former outputs can buy this work blindly.

Maybe the last ounce of currishness is missing and the religious yet ill-fated character of De Horae Leprae does not reappear in full bloom. Nevertheless, all songs convince and the threatening guitars at the beginning and the end of "Milites Pestilentiae III – Babylonia Magnissima" create some of the best moments of the EP. However, Theovorator: Babelis Testamentum is immune against feeble parts and its playtime of roughly 20 minutes is not too long, to say the least. The appropriate, dense sound completes the picture. Forteresse beware, because Délétère have the potential to pen a full-length which could oust "Thémes pour la rébellion" from the throne. Either way, Québec can be proud of triggering the most exciting wave in terms of present extreme metal. And that's exactly the reason why I forget the other side of the coin right now.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on April 30, 2019.

The modern times are horrible in terms of politics, climate change and religious insanity, but there is one thing that really helps me to go on. It seems as if the metallic underground never stops to spit out new, competent bands. Here we have a Czech battalion and I hate to see that their album is released only on a Czech label I have never heard of. Given this situation, I am not surprised that I do not find a German mail order that has it on stock. Even the metal underground is not immune against horrible details.

However, Murder Inc. invite the listener to a nerve-racking orgy of thrash. I am not speaking about the overly precise, filigree, relatively melodic and sometimes a little bit lame kind of thrash that formations like Heathen have brought into our musical cosmos. Murder Inc. love to use the crowbar. The ten tracks sound wild, atrocious and uncompromising and not only their fastest parts have a mind-boggling effect. Especially the short adrenaline rush on the seventh position confirms this thesis in a matter of seconds. But there are many more pieces that send a clear message. Murder Inc. push the envelope of what's possible - nevertheless, they avoid sounding predictable or one-dimensional. There is enough diversity to keep the listener under tension and that's a good thing, even though the surprisingly soft intro of "Smrtihlav" and its equally relaxed ending seem to be small accidents.

These unexpected and pretty misplaced moments of lenience aside, the material nearly blows me away. An overdose of energy fights with merciless aggression and, as strange as this may sound, both sides leave the battlefield as winners. Albums like this one provide evidence that the current product of Kreator and similar outputs are nothing else but an act of betrayal, because they take the untamed spirit of thrash metal ad absurdum. However, speaking of Mille, Ventor and the other once adventurous guys, "Pleasure to Kill" is a comparable work which could have had an influence on the Czech ruffians while composing their songs. The vehemence reaches a very similar degree. Subtle nuances are for pussies. (I guess my wording brutalizes. Sorry for that but listening to this album has an effect on me...)

The full-length clocks in at 33 minutes - and everything is laid waste. Although Murder Inc. do not shy away from any form of violence, they do not offer a typical thrash / death metal cocktail. The formation keeps the fingers away from death metal tools such as low-tuned guitars or extremely deep vocals. The rumbling attacks hail the old, mostly European school of thrash while waiving all technical tricks. Consequently, very narrow-minded supporters of the Bay Area thrash formula will probably not enjoy this debut. But I like the impulsive force of the guitars, the stimulating hammering of the snare and the yelping hoarse dog that calls himself lead vocalist. No doubt, there is a lot of potential and we will be well advised to keep an eye on the further evolution of this insane horde.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10