Review by Felix on April 18, 2022.

Frank Healy, I know we have never met each other. Yet if you read this review, please be aware of the fact that I want you to play the soundtrack on my funeral! Hell yes, is there any relevant punk-influenced or otherwise somehow ugly metal album from the UK without this guy at the bass guitar? Benediction, Sacrilege, Memoriam and Cerebral Fix, this dude seems to be everywhere. Okay, Napalm Death must be mentioned in this context, but he even had a short guest role in this legendary formation. Only Bolt Thrower does not show up in his CV, because he is a real gentleman and so it was a matter of course that he let Jo Bench go ahead. Anyhow, Healy is in his element on Tower Of Spite. A great portion of punk vibes is combined with some speedy, double bass fueled rockets and some maliciously creeping monsters. There is never too much velocity, blast beats do not occur. Many songs march rather stoically onwards, but despite this fact, they spread a punk-like, snotty attitude.

As far as I know, the debut of the band had not much in common with metal. But here the dudes prove evidence that they can forge resilient riffs, abrasive guitars and dark leads. The album's artwork matches the atmosphere of the homogeneous song material very well. The less rapid instrumental parts lie in close proximity to Sacrilege's fantastic sophomore work "Within The Prophecy". Yet it goes without saying that the raw and, well, spiteful voice of Simon Forrest cannot be compared with that of Linda "Tam" Simpson. He is full of dirty charm, no brilliant singer, but his approach characterizes the aura of the song sustainably. Nevertheless, it is almost logical that the album ends with a half-instrumental cover song of Sacrilege. (By the way: a great band, but can anybody undo the release of "Turn Back Trilobite"?)

The album does not look for friends and exactly this is appealing. The minimalist yet extremely effective "Unity for Who?" has this provocative touch which is always helpful to express an outlaw mentality. Furthermore, this short track leads smoothly to the first "full" song and this transition reflects the compact uniformity of the songs. All of them reach a good level, because the non-filigree riffs roll over the listener and the vast majority of the relatively little tempo changes are dead on target. Cerebral Fix leave a characteristic note of their own. Without polarizing blatantly, the band has written a love-it-or-hate-it album. Of course, one can say that the constantly pounding double bass is not overly exciting, but from my point of view, its prominent role lends the album an extra quantum power. Indeed, drummer Andy Baker, another veteran from Sacrilege, does not come off badly with respect to the production. By the way, I am speaking of a dense production, powerful and compact.

The output avoids the so-called "Testament album pattern" ( = five times top, five times flop) with great ease. It does not happen to me often, but I like each and every track on "Tower of Spite" and therefore I cannot recommend special highlights. Nevertheless, "Culte des Mortes" bundles the strengths of the somehow rebel formation for the final time, the robust riffing, the smooth flow, the comprehensible design, the brutal overall impression. So if you have the chance to get a copy of this bastard at a fair price, don't hesitate. It is no milestone, but a very, very honest work with a pretty casual touch. And don't forget that guys like Frank Healy deserve our support.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10