Review by Felix on September 24, 2023.

On their more or less mediocre album called „Suomi Finland Perkele“, Impaled Nazarene´s lead vocalist asked us the simple question: Do you want total war? Körgull the Exterminator does not hesitate to answer with an equally simple “yes”. After the release of the already devastating “War of the Voivods”, the here reviewed full-length marks another declaration of war. Melodies are viewed as a necessary evil. Acoustic breaks are totally overrated. Varied vocal lines do not make sense as long as you are able to scream. Finally, the Spanish horde avoids egomaniacal guitar solos or extraordinary drumming. As far as I can see, the only goal of the record was to create a sonic terrorist attack. Congratulations, the band has attained its objective.

Körgull operate on the border between primitiveness and insanity. I do not think that they know the meaning of the words “harmony” or “aesthetics”. Instead, they are very familiar with terms such as “pressure”, “intensity” and “violence”. That´s not much, but they do not need to know more in order to deliver an exciting full-length. While being focused on these minimalist guidelines, the band is able to form gripping songs. Körgull want to blow you away and they will certainly be successful. One reason for this is their compositional cleverness. Despite the continuous demolition, they are able to create dynamic songs. For example, listen to “Wild Forces”. It surprises with a very lively middle-part that forces its way through the acoustic realm of horror.

The constant screaming of a lady with the carefully chosen name “Lilith” sounds as feminine as an elongated belch of Tom Angelripper. Her performance is a typical case of “love it or hate it”. Viewed objectively, her throaty voice does not deliver any exceptional features. From my point of view, the vocals suit the music in a very good way. But I admit that critics may call the approach of Lilith one-dimensional.

The dense and powerful production supports the almost stubborn approach of the band in an appropriate manner. A thin sound would have been a disaster for the musical violence. Its effect depends not least of all on how well the producer succeeds in putting the songs in the right light. But the band itself also delivers an important contribution to the positive overall impression of the album. Songs like the title track stand out because of their hymnal chorus so that the necessary minimum of catchiness is ensured. Nevertheless, the most programmatic song title is “Battallion of Punishment (Under a Bullet Storm)”. The first part characterises the band, the words in brackets describe the situation of the audience while listening to the album.

The members of Körgull stay true to themselves and to their philosophy of extreme metal. Their mixture of black metal, grindcore and thrash metal will not disappoint those of you who appreciated “War of the Voivods”. Conversely, Körgull will not gain a lot of new fans. Their sound reminds me strongly of - surprise - early Voivod. In particular, the vibes of "Killing Technology" come back to life. With regard to its relentlessness, the music will only appeal to a small target group. But this is precisely what makes the band all the more likeable.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10