Review by Fernando on July 11, 2022.

Oh Canada! Between the Ross Bay Cult scene and the Quebecois Metal Noir scene and the older thrash scene of the 80’s and 90’s, Canada has really made a name for themselves in the metal world. Today we have veteran underground maniacs from Alberta, Begrime Exemious, who have returned with their fourth full-length, Rotting In The Aftermath, released through Dark Descent Records.

Begrime Exemious are labeled as a black/death band, and that’s not an incorrect descriptor for their music, however, I would personally add the caveat of their music being a mixture of first wave black metal, with old school death metal, as the music has a raw, punk-like and thrashing attitude, that’s reminiscent of bands like Sodom and early Celtic Frost, alongside the brutality of early Bathory, and the shredding and speed of ‘Leprosy’ era Death and early Morbid Angel. They’ve consistently built on that sound for well over a decade (since their 2010 debut album) and that continues to be the case for this new record.

Rotting In The Aftermath wastes no time at all. First 3 tracks set the mood from the get go and it never lets up. If the band is good at something it would be first impressions, and from there the album is consistent in quality. The band play to their strengths (for the most part) with thick and frenzied riffs, drumming that walks the line between primitive and technical, and dry growling vocals. It's actually impressive how the band manage to consistently deliver pummeling, thrashing speed without ever dragging their feet in the process. That being said, some might take issue with how the album is very singularly driven in its style and execution, but then, that’s when the band come through with their closing track and the most off-kilter song in the album, ‘Diseased Mankind’. A 4 minute dirge like song that’s pure, unfiltered black metal, and I specifically highlight this track because its not only one of the best in the album, but also because it's a drastic change of pace that somehow does manage to be consistent with the sound of all preceding tracks. One criticism of it however is how it can eclipse the rest of the album, or feel like a random deviation, but overall it shows the band can successfully grab your attention and still catch you off guard.

Overall, Begrime Exemious continue their streak of quality black/death metal and still show that they do have some neat tricks up their sleeve to mix things up from time to time. Not a revolutionary record, but it really doesn’t need to be.

Best tracks: 'Cruel Mistress', 'Breach the Stronghold', 'Hell’s Embrace', 'Planetary Crypt', 'Diseased Mankind'

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Manuel on April 15, 2004.

Little Mikey, here is a lesson on music nutrition, so listen closely. You see, little shaver, there is music that is ok. You buy it and you say, yeah yeah yeah, that tasted pretty good, what’s the next course like? Then there is the stuff you eat, and then you die of a coronary forty years later because despite your doctor’s warnings, you snarfed it down again and again. Mikey, you eat anything that comes your way. I’m telling you, that’s a downright stupid thing to do. You eat junk, Mikey. Partake in The Blessed Hellride and don’t ever look back, you hear me?

Zakk Wylde may very well be the savior of all things straight, heavy, and invariably manly. Not only is he a deity (you can’t speak his name in some houses of worship, it is too great a force to harness) among anyone who doesn’t read Rolling Stone’s top 100 guitarists, he is sincere in his belief that metal is a way of life, not a guided tour. Black Label Society’s Blessed Hellride combines the raw energy of his far underrated, but loyal and gifted efforts Sonic Brew and Stronger than Death with the thing that made him known to the world in the first place, Ozzy’s sorely underrated No Rest for the Wicked. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Zakk has made his personal work his sacred tribute to all things metal, and it would be an insult to him to try to fit it all in this little box. Instead, it is enough to say that should you overlook The Blessed Hellride, you are missing the very thing that has made heavy metal a part of people’s lives. “Stillborn” , the most recognizable single from the album should have been the song Ozzy’s Down to Earth was remembered for. Instead, it is one element of a brilliant album filled with straightforward riffing and blasting emotion that is not just technical (anything Zakk does is a product of his tireless practice) but full of fun. And in this day and age, how many things are simply that? This album can be played 20 years from now, and everything from the acoustic driven title track, the power mingled ballad of “Blackened Waters” , to the howling of “Destruction Overdrive” – all of it will be essential.

Mikey, stop it. Quit crying. Eat this and shut up. You’ll thank me for it when you grow up and are ready to kick a little ass. You like it? No shit, Sherlock, it’s fortified with Zakk-fucking-Wylde. Now bleed Black Label, and drink up, sonny. Class has just begun.


Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9
Originality: 8 (because rocking with integrity is original these days)
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.4 out of 10