Review by Felix on August 20, 2023.

Here we have the gatefold split of Azaghal and Black Death Ritual with four songs by each band. I wanted to praise the great design of the album with its good artwork, the printed lyrics and the band pics, but there is one absolutely shitty detail. I am speaking about the picture in the centre of Azaghal’s vinyl side. I do not intend to describe it, because I am not interested in writing about ejaculating monsters… oh, now it’s too late. Anyway, let’s try to forget this idiotic illustration.

'Kuin Lampaat Teuraalle' kicks off the split. Two years after the release of this split, the song reappered on "Luciferi Valo" – for good reasons, because its riff hooks the listener immediately. The third track, 'Maailman Viimeinen Yö (Ja Ensimmäinnen)' celebrated its rebirth on "Omega". Okay, both songs did not come back in exactly the same arrangement, nevertheless, these overlaps devalued the split subsequently to a certain extent. Apart from these details, Azaghal once again turn out to be a reliable partner in terms of diabolic blackness. Despite the narrow stylistic frame, all songs take an exciting ride through the waste lands that lead to hell directly. High speed is an imprtant factor, but the dragging parts and gloomy sections are also very convincing. They reveal an enormous depth. It gets obvious that Azaghal were no beginners at the time they wrote and recorded these songs. The riffs attack the listener like violent pinpricks, the demon at the mic does not lack dedication and especially the comparatively calm parts in 'Mustan Tulen Palvelija' and the melancholic, already mentioned 'Maailman…' sound like Immortal, if the Norwegians were finally serious. In a nutshell, the A side works very well and the typical, compressed production gives you the appreciated Azaghal feeling.

Black Death Ritual are a nearly perfect partner for a split with Azaghal, at least at least if you want the two bands of a split to produce as harmonious a sound picture as possible. They present the same degree of blackness and brutality as their more famous partners in crime. It is actually a pity that the discography of the band ends with the release of their only full-length in 2005. Black Death Ritual have a good instinct – they operate very violently, but they never fall victim to an uncontrolled, barbaric chaos sound. Their mix is a bit more blurred than that of Azaghal, especially when it comes to high velocity outbursts. Nevertheless, these two bands meet on an equal footing and all songs of the B side are definitely worth listening. So we have eight proper songs on Neljä Vihan Vasaraa / Four Hammers Of Hate that did not revolutionize the genre, but showed its sinister glory and its sinister misanthropy once more. Perhaps even the ejaculation of Azaghal's demon ends once again at some point.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10