Review by Vladimir on October 5, 2024.

If there is one particular subgenre branch that I would never dare to take so lightly and criticize its “testosterone-driven” nature, it’s obviously the branch that includes various bands that combine black, thrash, and speed metal with a bit of traditional heavy metal elements for good measure. Although we recently got some solid treasures along the way, the one that made me really curious to delve into was the new album by the Belgian band Bütcher. These mean bastards are back with another weapon of mass destruction, in the form of their third full-length album On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing with a release date of October 25th, 2024 via Osmose Productions. Now, shall we set the world on fire for the glory of the dark lord? Time to find out… 

Bütcher kicks off the musical mayhem with an intro track 'A Divine Wind' that transitions into the badass killer song 'Speed Metal Samurai' that will take us fast into madness with its maniacal blackened speed metal attack. Although we’re off to a good start with these first couple of tracks, this is but a taste of what is to come, because things just manage to get more interesting from then on, providing a plethora of things along the way, while slowly turning into one big black/speed/heavy metal extravaganza. This album presents itself as a nice collection of loud banger tunes with plenty of heavy riffs with wild guitar solos and occasional guitar harmonies, amped up by the aggressive drums and intense shouting vocals that add more firepower to the band’s performance. The entirety of On Fowl of Tyrant Wing just doesn’t stop on giving from the aspects of musical delivery and entertainment, because it gradually gets heavier with its track-by-track progression, especially on a couple of tracks that really go far beyond like 'Keep The Steele (Flamin' Hot)' that manages to throw in some powerful blast beats during the chorus, or the catchy heavy metal driven 'A Sacrifice To Satan's Spawn' that sounds like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest on steroids, or the mystical and borderline death metal styled track 'A Gypsy's Tale (Of Sex And Seance)' with bits that remind me of classic Morbid Angel and Mercyful Fate. With so many things being thrown at you, it’s just impossible to not get immersed in its hellish glory, and such mesmerizing quality delivers a grand payoff with the epic nine-and-a-half minute closing track 'An Ending In Fyre' that burns its last virgin before the ascension of the great beast. 

The songwriting is so well executed throughout the entirety of On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing, by showcasing a dynamic range of ideas that make the song structure feel so rich and solid, without any lackluster delivery whatsoever and yet it manages to maintain its musical strength. I must say that even if this album provided a very standard and straightforward black/speed metal approach, I still would have been totally satisfied with what we’ve got, but Bütcher really went ahead with this one and decided to take things to the next level with each song on the album, because the overall output is anything but “template-based songwriting” where everything would have been all around the same as before. You can totally hear that there was a lot of effort put into the making of On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing, where blood, sweat, and pure steel were poured into these powerful songs with a strong focus on the overall execution, which I think was more than effective. Aside from all the killer tracks on this album that burn twice as high, what really stands out to me the most about On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing is the phenomenal cover art by the legendary artist Kris Verwimp, known for his work on other bands like Absu, Sear Bliss, Old Man’s Child, Enthroned and many others, and he gave us an amazing artwork that beautifully captures the essence of the album and the visual presentation of Bütcher. For a very dope album artwork such as this, it’s really impossible to not let your curiosity get the best of you and have it blasting on your speakers loud and proud. 

Wow, what an entertaining experience this one came to be! If you are hungry for blood, fire, and death, presented through an outstanding black/speed metal spectacle, then look no further than Bütcher’s beast of an album that is On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing. It’s got everything from action-packed heavy headbanging moments, filled with killer riffs, to some very delightful surprises that will make you go wild and beg for more. Make sure you crank it up to eleven and let the beast run wild! 

Rating: 8.9 out of 10