Review by Vladimir on April 14, 2024.

Last year I was tasked to write an announcement for a new single that teased the release of Monoliths Of Wrath, the fifth full-length album by the German black/thrash metal band Lucifuge. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to check it out because it was one hell of a year that just kept spawning numerous awesome releases from all corners of the world. However, a year after its release, Lucifuge would announce its return once again, this time with the sixth full-length album Hexensabbat, with the release date of May 24th, 2024, once again published by Dying Victims Productions. I saw this as a good opportunity to redeem myself with all I’ve got, so I figured that it would be wise of me to take a look at Hexensabbat and see what devilish delights it has to offer. 

Relentless, blasphemous, barbaric and bewitching, those four words exactly describe how this album kicks off so strongly, without mercy and without hesitation. From the very first second, it is blackened thrashing and bashing in pure and raw German thrash metal fashion, ripping everything apart with wicked and heavy guitar riffs, banging drumming and harsh guttural vocals. As the album progresses, the riffs get heavier and more intense, and the drumming gets even crazier when fast double-bass drumming and blast beats come to play, wrecking everything apart and setting the whole world of fire. Along the way you are in for a nice thrill-ride, where you come to realize that there are nice moments that showcase something more than meets the eye. Those examples are the fourth track 'The Court Of The Profane' which incorporates a bit of heavy metal before jumping back into action with black-thrashing, alongside the Judas Priest style lead on the start of the fifth track 'Into Eternal Sleep'. The intense power and the unholy aggression of Hexensabbat guarantees that all those self-pleasuring witches will be bathing in goat sperm and priest’s blood, under the great demon’s footstep. It’s very clear that the album keeps that constant flow, but the more undeniable fact is that the material gets stronger and more engaging around the second half, showcasing more punk and rock ‘n roll driven moments that amp it up to 10. 

The songwriting on Hexensabbat is moderately dynamic with its tempo changes and simple yet effective ideas thrown in to rock it out even harder. Although the album relies heavily on one template that is used all-throughout, the stylistic consistency works pretty well in my opinion, keeping that even flow going from one song to another without you ever losing interest or shifting attention. I liked the fact that it always keeps you on edge for what is to come next, while still hungry for more power and violence in the music, and it certainly doesn’t fail to deliver all of that. Although for the most part it is instrumentally on the thrash and speed metal part, along with a couple of heavy metal moments, there were some moments where it went more towards the classic black metal direction like on the tracks 'They Come In Legions' and 'Cursed To Eternity'. My favourite thing about this album apart from the music is the grey cover art, done by Kerbcrawlerghost, who managed to convey exactly the kind of bewitching and blasphemous energy of Hexensabbat, with its style and depiction very reminiscent to conceptual artists such as Gustav Dore, Martin Van Maele and Felicien Rops. Just like before, the album production was handled by the band’s only member Equinox, who definitely knows his job well on the production side of things by giving us a kickass sound. Although I did feel like the vocals could have been a little more tweaked in the final mix, nevertheless it all sounds very solid. 

Like many people know, I am a sucker for very simple but powerful black/thrash metal albums who have a simple goal to crush, kill and destroy, and Hexensabbat does all of it. It’s an awesome album of its kind that certainly pleases the basic needs of oldschool maniacs, leaving you satisfied for a good ol’ headbanging journey without pretentiousness and without bullshit. If you are a fan of bands like Ketzer, Bewitcher and Barbarian, you should definitely check out Hexensabbat by Lucifuge. 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10