Review by Felix on September 10, 2019.

One of the countless mysteries in metal is that nobody likes to write a review for Grabak. Don't know why, their works are absolutely worth listening to. The Serpent Within Paradise can be understood as a typical work of the Germans. Admittedly, the mix sounds marginally sterile, especially the drums appear lifeless from time to time. However, neither the nagging of the lead vocalist nor the guitars give arguments to hate the album. By contrast, the strange collage of the artwork remains dubious. Does it have a message or not? Guess this is another mystery in metal.

The compositions form a pretty monolithic unit. Grabak stay loyal to their sound and this means that high-speed drums accompany clanking guitar lines. Sometimes the vocals have an involuntarily comical touch, because every now and then they rather sound quirky than evil. However, Grabak followers - does this species exist or am I the only one who listens to their albums - are used to this singing style. The aforementioned guitar lines are of higher relevance. "Der Antichrist", for example, holds some fantastic parts which are driven forward by the merciless guitars. They combine sharpness with brutality and create a mean clump of hatred. Yet it is not easy to pick out single songs, because they do not differ from each other significantly. This is not to say that the protagonists play one and the same song ten times until they have reached the 45 minutes mark. Either way, their frame does not leave much wiggle-room for experiments. Given this situation, it is nearly a mystery - once again a mystery - how they manage to integrate an almost catchy chorus into this inferno, but this is exactly what they are doing in "Bloodspawn".

Minor flaws are present as well. The over-use of the double bass leads to an almost robotic sound and the number of immediately killing sequences is relatively low. However, the album grows. At first glance, the listener seems to be lost in the thicket of black emotions. But with every new round, she or he gets more access to the songs and so it feels good to come back to The Serpent Within Paradise from time to time. It's an intensive work and it needs the full attention, but who wants to consume easy-listening black metal? I do not have this intention and so I enjoy the here presented work, albeit it does not have the theatrical or dramatic touch that the real classics of the genre have, first and foremost "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" (mysteries, everywhere mysteries). Indeed, the album can become slightly strenuous due to a small portion of black metal run-of-the-mill sections.

All in all and as already mentioned at the beginning, this album is recommendable without fuss or quibble. Even the thunderous, mid-paced outro adds value to it and the intelligently designed lyrics make the circle complete. Grabak have forged anything else but an ill-conceived work. Maniacs who enjoy Aeba, Enthroned or Setherial can't fail when checking this album. But if they do, it would be the next mystery to me.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on April 3, 2022.

Sometimes already the title of an album speaks volumes and combined with the name of the band, everything is clear for everybody who has at least a faint of idea of metal. Bestial Torment, released by Goat Kommander, is among these titles and it does not promise too much. The lone wolf who runs this "band" is a multi-instrumentalist with a hundred current and a thousand former projects. It looks like this guy has no other hobbies than extreme metal. Holy narrow-mindedness! Anyway, Bestial Torment wears its name with pride and houses a very robust dose of brutality at the interface of black and death metal. As a patriotic traditionalist, the artist did not forget to integrate a cover version of Sarcofago, but this piece does only score with its demonic atmosphere. Music-wise it suffers from a lack of energy. To be inspired by Hellhammer is one thing, to execute this kind of songs in an equally glorious manner is another one.

More thrilling are songs like the opener. The people-friendly titled 'Christians To The Poisonous Snakes' is an orgy that connects brusque guitar lines and vocals from the mausoleum with a massive, bulldozering production. Don't ask for sunshine! Despite its high-tempo approach, it is not the most dynamic song in the history of extreme metal, because it reveals a slightly monotonous approach. Nevertheless, it's a great opener. It shows that the Kommander is not interesting in making compromises, and the remaining material confirms this statement. Many sequences appear like the setting of a barbaric bloodlust and some of them have the charm of Venom's debut, but with the much more fire, hate and cruelty. And there is one big difference to the early albums of the pioneers. Goat Kommander does not have the smallest iota of self-mockery.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Songs like the sinister 'World On Fire' illustrate impressively that music and the apocalypse have more in common than most of us thought. I don't say that this is an exclusively violent album, because a few parts offer tragic, nearly melancholic sounds. But the spirit of the protagonist and his art is clear. Given this fact, Goat Kommander convey authentic vibes of extreme metal without even batting an eyelid. Already this EP is recommandable, maybe the first full-length will show the complete potential of the mastermind. I'm curious.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10