Review by Felix on December 4, 2022.

Have you seen it? Bunker 66 release split after split. That’s cool, but it’s also a bit like grandmother dying. “Granny, please tell us the secret of your fantastic apple pie, before you die. What’s the recipe?” She whispers with her last breath: “Always a little too little.” Indeed, small portions can make things more valuable. Nevertheless, when it comes to Hell & Sulphur, it would have been fine to get more than only seven minutes music in total.

Be that as it may, Bunker 66 contribute another casual track. It is built on the same formula as the songs of their last full-length. Cool riffing, dominant mid-tempo but also an outbreak of high-speed and vocals that convey a lot of dirty atmosphere. Usually, I expect a proper dose of insanity when it comes to black thrash, but Bunker 66 satisfy my needs even without this element. Instead, Motörhead shimmer through the tones of 'Pandemonial Storms', a song that profits from its pretty transparent yet powerful production. All in all, this is good piece, but it stands doubtlessly in the shadow of the highlights of 'Beyond The Help Of Prayers'.

Hellcrash complete the Italian syndicate. “Hell Breaks Loose” sounds raw. The mix is less clean than the one of their split partners, but not ill-defined. What they have in common with Bunker 66 is that they also cannot deny a punk / filthy rock ‘n’ roll influence. The song avoids experiments and its conventional verse-chorus-verse scheme is anything but surprising. In other words, Hellcrash do nothing wrong, but they cannot fully convince me as well. There is no component in their song that makes me curious for more. So it’s 60% for them and 74% for their partners in crime. And now I would be happy if I could get a piece of grandma’s apple pie.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on March 14, 2023.

Bunker 66 are funny people, because they call a release with a playtime of less than 24 minutes a full-length. Looks like that “Chained Down in Dirt” is their ultra-reign in blood… Anyway, first things first, the so-called album is properly produced. The guitars have a full, warm yet attacking sound and dominate the scene and that’s how it should be. Drums and vocals also have enough space to show their strength. Speaking of the vocals, they are very varied again. With his snotty and raw, but also clean and even melodic style, Giuseppe, also known as Damien, hits the bull’s eye. No wonder, this guy was born in 1968, a very good vintage, if I am not mistaken, haha.

Bunker 66 have the talent to connect almost airy guitar lines with a really heavy, pretty sombre approach. There is always a remarkable flow and the liaison of melodic elements and metallic concepts works very well. Needless to say that the single songs do not suffer from one gram of fat in view of the opulent design of the “semi-length”. Better still, they hit the stage with great riffs, explosive parts and a big coolness factor. “Taken Under the Spell” is a prime example that unites all these components. Its simple riff at the beginning, the casual mid-tempo section and the more or less sudden tempo intensification make this song to a little jewel. But beware, it’s one of the very epic cuts here with a playtime of more than three minutes, haha.

No doubt, the machine runs at high speed and as if lubricated. Here someone has not saved on oil. All the cogs mesh seamlessly and so Bunker 66 offer eight eruptions without any negative or lame sequence. It is cool to experience how they combine a somehow traditional approach with a modern, fresh touch. Their blackened thrash attack is almost free from obvious punk elements, they present almost pure metal in all its glory. Especially the contagious guitar work makes me feel good, because it shines with sharp precision and even the rare and short solos add their own flavour excellently. The Italians are able to widen the narrow corridor of this bastard genre called black thrash in an almost magical manner. Fleet-footed yet authentic they show their class and even the less strong moments (for example the chorus of the title track) still reach a solid level. Okay, I do not know why this song sends greetings to Judas Priest (“I’m a jawbreaker, a turbo lover”), but as long as they do not annoy us with a cover version of “Turbo Lover” or one of its crappy comrades, everything is fine. Do you hear “Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days” coming? Start running, haha.

All in all, I just can recommend this short yet energetic outburst of nearly immaculate metal. And let’s forget the fact that the “album” does not reach the 24 minutes mark, because the fade-out riff of the closer is so fantastic that you probably will at least listen twice to “Chained Down in Dirt”. Maybe this is the reason why the funny jokers from Messina call this work a full-length. But we are humorous as well, just think of this funny review with all its laughter, haha.

Eh what, you say it wasn’t funny at all? Well, forgive me, I am German.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10