Review by Nick on July 6, 2008.

It’s apparent within the first 20 seconds of the opening track that Awaiting Evil is an anachronism: raw, ferocious, minimally produced thrash metal from the Bay area in 2008? That’s the equivalent of running down the street listening to an iPod and being hit by a DeLorean. It’s just plain rare.

Once the acoustic intro, Darkening Skies, drifts into the sunset over San Francisco Bay, Frailty Of The Flesh cracks the foundation open like a quake ripping through the streets. The song is immediately reminiscent of Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica, mixed with some Slayer and Exodus. In fact, reach your hand into the proverbial grab-bag of 80’s era thrash and you would pull out some applicable influences.

Sealed Fate is another no-frills slab of thrash. The guitar riffs pummel and spurts of schizophrenic lead melodies overlay this pile of smoking metal. The vocals are primordial and appropriately raw. Frozen Hell, despite its horrific title, is a track that makes the undisputed case that Hatchet is for real, not just a cover band-turned original act. Frozen Hell churns like acid-laced bile and captivates throughout its 4:24 running length. In an era where metal is increasingly progressive and epic, Hatchet demonstrates that less can be more, and simplicity is the new complex.

The fifth and sixth cuts, Attack Imminent and The Morlocks Tomb, are both slightly more intense than the previous tracks, reminding me more of Slayer’s Hell Awaits than Metallica or Exodus. On both tracks, the tempo has been injected with a stimulant and the riffing is more aggressive. On Attack Imminent, there is a sense of chaotic urgency, which makes the song quite cacophonous. I obviously want to give Hatchet credit for being their own band in a time when such music is mostly absent, but the downside to re-creating a successful era is to constantly compare. But such comparison is more complimentary than anything.

Storm The Gates begins with a riff that comes across as a bit recycled. While I appreciate the continued effort of re-energizing a genre that has been widely laid to rest, this track misses the mark. There are a few sporadic highlights within the song, but the track fails, as a whole.

The eighth song, The Dead Will March, sounds eerily like a B-side from Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss. There is a paranoid feeling throughout the track, which adds a darkened layer. The guitars are ferocious and constantly evolve from riff to riff without hesitation. Again, the vocals are spewed venomously, with no regard for melody or harmony.

The album ends with the title track, Awaiting Evil. In true thrash form, the title track captures the epic glory. Awaiting Evil is…well, evil. Hatchet holds nothing back on this ending track. Marcus Kirchen’s vocals mirror everything from King Diamond to a young Tom Araya. The guitars are absolutely punishing. Period.

Hatchet’s Awaiting Evil is a welcome exception to the typical new millennium’s selection of metal. While there is clearly a lot of amazing metal being released in 2008, it’s fun to watch the genre come full circle. What was inspired and built upon in the late 80s has found its way back to the place of its birth. Awaiting Evil is concise, angry and simple. It’s metal the way metal was when rock gave birth to it and named it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 7
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 14, 2024.

There are two things one must know about Behemoth. Firstly, their best phase began very early on. Secondly, their best phase ended very early too. Thank Lucifer, the demo “...from the Pagan Vastlands” is among the oldest releases of the band. With the first tones of the opener – blowing winds welcome the listener – the release reveals a very high degree of atmosphere. “From the Hornedland to Lindisfarne” scores with a haunting, enchanted mood, fragile acoustic guitar tones that duel with sinister e-guitar lines and croaking vocals. Moreover, well integrated keyboard carpets show up and the drums are hammering somewhere in the distance. It goes without saying that one cannot expect a professional recording, but the crucial thing is that “...from the Pagan Vastlands” has definitely a lot of raw underground charm. The mix is like the artwork, both can rely on a simple yet adequate recipe.

Compared with the opener, “Thy Winter Kingdom” offers an almost smooth flow. Already in winter 1993/1994, Behemoth were able to manage more than just one approach. Nothing on this demo sounds formulaic or predictable. Behemoth followed their then black hearts and this way of proceeding resulted in archaic, authentic and spiritual tracks. The dudes did not shy away from a proper number of melodies – nevertheless, “misanthropy” is written in big letters over each and every track. Maybe it is correct to say that the excellence of this demo is based on the rare mixture of a surprisingly early achieved musical maturity and absolutely non-commercial individualism. Okay, Behemoth did not grow up in a vacuum and therefore their mid-paced tracks breathe the spirit of bands like Graveland. Anyway, the dudes are able to bring their personality into the compositions which are expressive, charismatic and equipped with an atmospheric density which turns out to be a big plus.

What does not really work here? Well, nothing sucks, only minor details are irritating. The Mayhem cover comes after the “outro winds” of “Fields of Harr-Megiddo”, which actually close the circle. And speaking of this song, its solos are slightly confusing for the listener, because they are more or less airy, light and almost emotional. Yet if I ignore them, the further parts of the track are on a par with the remaining material – songs that are full of suspenseful moments and in which the almost 35 minutes pass by quickly, although the single pieces themselves often only move at a medium speed. However, especially the strong “Blackvisions of the Almighty” illustrates that the musicians did not suffer from an allergy against speed.

The story of Behemoth (Nergal) is a story of musical evolution, to say it positively. From my point of view, it is a story of fickleness. Today the words “Black Metal is not a trend (inverted cross) it’s a cult!”, printed on the digipak, seem like mockery. Drive through Poland and if you see a guy pissing with the wind, it will probably be Nergal. But if one takes “...from the Pagan Vastlands” alone, and I guess this is meaning and purpose of this review, it is definitely a great document of this thing we call true black metal and an auspicious harbinger of Behemoth’s masterpiece from 1996, “Grom”.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10