Review by Tobias on February 28, 2002.

If ever the godfather of metal, Black Sabbath, had a younger more athletic brother, his name would be Pentagram, riding the same doom tone as their elders like a determined Tommy Chong on a warhorse.

Bucking out tunes to lose your sobriety to since 1972, “The Ram Family” have put together a collection of their early material in a repaired and remastered fashion. Of course, that would sound like a silly statement to many who are not familiar with the thinner recording qualities of low-funded music projects in the seventies… but believe me, from the small budgeted recording material that made up this disc, it’s a great improvement!

From the rolling doom opener Forever My Queen on down the line to the energetic and fascinatingly atmospheric Starlady, Pentagram massages their seething fingers into your back and get you hooked.

Like many aged liquors, Pentagram is an acquired taste. Similarly though, when you get the flavor for it, you return to it often and it will engross you. The spacey but tough rockin’ guitar licks and solos of Vincent McAllister coating the chunky fuzz blocks that the rest of the band pump out with tenacious artistry will leave you wondering how the music could sound so hard and raw yet so edematous.

Call it doom or fuzz or stoner metal, Pentagram is to be respected for what they do. Make no mistake, this is not a Black Sabbath clone; this is original metal born of similar roots with a mind all its own.

Bottom Line: This is about as great as energetic classic doom metal gets.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 6
Originality: 9
Overall: 10

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 13, 2026.

I do not know why Filii Nigrantium Infernalium re-released their debut from 2005 in 2018. It is also a mystery to me why they shortened its name. The tracklist is not identical, only similar to that of their first full-length. I have no clue why. So there are many questions I cannot answer. Nevertheless, there is one piece of information I can give. The delicately titled “Fellatrix” provides good entertainment.

At least that can be said of those who like to consume a mix of very boozy Motörhead, punk-infused, filthy guitar lines, some rocking and some very fast rhythms, a lead vocalist who sounds as antisocial as possible – and all these elements are based on a blackened thrash foundation. FNI cultivates the evergreen outlaw (anti-) romanticism. Admittedly, I do not understand a single word of their lyrics, but a title like “Bordel Vaticanal no Éden de Deus” does not indicate that the musicians are devoutly going to church every Sunday. But especially the snotty charm of the compositions emphasizes their we-against-all attitude. Among others, the Mexican thrash punks Acidez create a similar feeling. This means that dynamic guitar lines meet a mixture of desperation and rebellion, while the song patterns find a good balance between simple yet not primitive. FNI reach their best form whenever they charge straight ahead, but their more lenient or groovy parts also play an important part. Without suffering from heterogeneity, “Fellatrix” shows different facets of the band. They shine in different colours, but all these colours are dirty, peeling a little, and are likely to create a hostile atmosphere, at least in the twilight.

The production does what I expect from it. It does not lack pressure, and it lends the material an earthy, grounded, and somewhat repulsive touch. Underground is more than just a word, and the sound engineers of this album know this. Of course, it must be fun to record such carefree, honest, and often furious songs. Nevertheless, we are all able to name releases whose mix does not set the right frame for the tracks. But here we have highlights like “A Forca” coming into their own. By the way, it is no coincidence that I picked a song from the second half for a closer description. “Calypso” marks a slightly botched start. At first, one wonders what kind of sound the band is aiming for. The following track about the strange goings-on in the Vatican provides the first orientation. It brings harsh and sordid rock’n roll in its blackest form. That’s cool, but the “B side” of the CD delivers a slightly higher intensity and more or less nothing but great pieces. So let’s finally get to “A Forca”. Already, the scream at the beginning and the first guitar notes point in the right direction. The song builds up momentum and takes off. FNI races through the verses and the chorus, before a short machine gun fire of the drums opens the gates for a mid-paced, mega-cool part which paves its way mercilessly, until a simple yet expressive guitar solo gains the upper hand. At the end of the longest song of the album, the band shifts up three gears again, but soon a drawn-out ending sets the final accent. Needless to say, the lead vocalist spends almost the entire time screaming, ranting, and raving – it’s a real treat.

In a world of one million metal albums, “Fellatrix” is no milestone. So what. It is true that it houses almost only good or even excellent songs. Even the slightly crude opener is no stinker. I cannot say whether it was necessary to re-record the album after 13 years in a lightly modified form. But I am happy that they did it, even though I do wonder why they chose to release the new version in a year when another (brand new) album was also coming out. But that’s just another mystery to me.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10