Review by Fran on April 27, 2022.

Born from the ashes of Hermética -the most prominent latinamerican thrash metal band after Sepultura- Malón marked the evolution from the vintage 80’s sound to the digital era sound and groove-influenced composition in our region. Their Brazilian counterpart included etchnic influences to their grooves though, Malón kept the hard-rock riffing and the speed and ferocity from their Hermética days, that’s why I love them so much. Hermética’s last album (“Víctimas del Vaciamiento” from 1993) featured a modern production too, but it isn’t as inspired and powerful as the consecutive couple of Malón’s registers. Nineteen years later, they released this album named Nuevo Orden Mundial... I find a much more mature band here, but the energy and authenticity is intact.

The thrashing beat is still raging in these twelve tracks, some of them are fast numbers like most of Malón classics but most of them are a little bit slower and mid-tempo; epic songs though. 'Nuevo Orden Mundial', the record opener, 'Recordar Para No Olvidar' and 'Triste Final' have the most of those fast paced sections. These fast bullets sound fresh and are well coined but, as time goes by and musicians grow old they find that music as a means of expression is very dynamic; you have to portray exactly how you feel in a particular moment and none feels exactly the same as twenty years before, that’s for sure. That’s why I think the band feels more comfortable with a heavier mid-paced riffing style, the rest of the cuts dwell between that traditional heavy metal beat and heavy breakdowns. 'Deshacer El Mundo' is a cover from spanish rock band Héroes Del Silencio. While it isn’t an exact copy from the original version, they kept the main chords and played them way heavier, in Malón’s fashion. The last track 'Una Luz' is actually a power ballad, sung by the band’s guitarist, Tano Romano, and features acoustic verses and melodic leads that are not to be found on any of the other songs.

Pato Strunz, the band’s longtime drummer, sounds in perfect shape. Double bass drum parts sound simply amazing, the cymbal work is world class and so are his drum breaks. Bassist Karlos Cuadrado plays simple bass lines along with the riffs and displays a rich tone with a slight distortion and the trademark “pick” sound. El Tano Romano’s composition signature is unique and unforgettable, present on every song. His leads are a masterclass of soloing and as I said before, he occasionally collaborates with some of the vocals. Claudio O’Connor, the band’s vocalist, has a high pitched and raspy tone. He doesn’t sound as potent as he did in the early days; his falsettos aren’t as long but he still manages to deliver the lyrics convincingly, with anger. Lyrically, the band deals with social issues… in fact, a couple of days ago on March the 24th, Argentinians commemorate the victims from the dictatorship that scourged the country from 1976 to 1983 and I think those lyrics fit pretty well within that concept.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Rosh on November 26, 2023.

The Finnish death metal scene is altogether quite overlooked, and this might have something to do with the fact that they never spawned a consistent death metal institution of a band, no Bolt Thrower's, no Autopsy's, no Immolation's, no Dismember's, etc. Rather, many of their seminal bands only ever released a couple, one, or in the case of Abhorrence, no full-length albums, instead proving themselves curious oddities for the cryptic fanatic to uncover. Abhorrence, though, would have been the most deserving of a lengthy and storied career, given that they had the greatest impact on the Finnish sound with merely a demo and an EP. They're one of my favorite death metal bands of all time for how they defined this unnerving, visceral style, so it should come as no surprise that a release which offers tight, satisfying live renditions of all their classic songs is more than welcome in my eyes.

These songs feel just as heavy, foreboding, and repulsive on stage as they do on Abhorrence and Vulgar Necrolatry, the guitar and drums punching through just enough to grab you by the balls the same way they did on the original recordings, but not enough to drown out Jukka's distinctive vocals. Since his vocals have always been somewhere between guttural death growls and raspy, throat-razing shrieks, it feels right for the instrumentation to not be overly murky either. Yet still, Abhorrence were always able to capture the rotten, putrid sound even without a cavernous feel. They didn't even entirely abandon thrash on the demo or EP, but they made it work with compositions that simply carry a certain gloomy, sepulchral atmosphere in whatever setting they're played. "Pestilential Mists" may be iconic on the self-titled EP, but it feels instantly familiar on this live album too.

Another key point about the music of Abhorrence is that it's always been quite freakish sounding. My friends in the metal community like to describe bands and albums with single words, and along with early Pestilence, we all agree that Abhorrence was a freakish band, in the sense that they're more deranged with their morbidity than the average death metal band, and it makes you feel uneasy. Whether it's the thrashier cuts like the classic headbanger "Holy Laws of Pain", the descending tremolo lines in "Devourer of Souls", or the doomier segments in "Vulgar Necrolatry" and "Pleasures of Putrid Flesh", the live setting is a very neat and fresh (actually rotten), but still authentic compliment to these already repugnant musical numbers.

On that point, the tone of the music here is obviously much closer to the self-titled EP than to the Vulgar Necrolatry demo, just because it's way clearer sounding, whereas the demo had a very dirty and raw sound (certainly defining the putrid atmosphere). This means that the songs from the demo are sort of spilling their guts more, revealing intricacies that were harder to notice when listening to the original tape. "Devourer of Souls", "Pleasures of Putrid Flesh", and "Vulgar Necrolatry" still sound superb on this release, but more as though they were also featured on the EP.

This is a splendid album to own if you want some Abhorrence on CD or vinyl in your collection, but can't track down the Completely Vulgar compilation, least of all an original copy of their EP. It features fantastic, authentic renditions of all their classic death metal tunes, and proves them to be a worthy contender for the most unnerving yet headbangable death metal band. Certainly, a release like this will keep them relevant despite their body of work being a shortlived stroke of genius back in the 90's. It's all the more impressive that these guys are playing these songs again after reuniting, delivering authentic Finnish death metal two decades later. They are the originators after all!

Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Review by Rosh on November 26, 2023.

The Finnish death metal scene is altogether quite overlooked, and this might have something to do with the fact that they never spawned a consistent death metal institution of a band, no Bolt Thrower's, no Autopsy's, no Immolation's, no Dismember's, etc. Rather, many of their seminal bands only ever released a couple, one, or in the case of Abhorrence, no full-length albums, instead proving themselves curious oddities for the cryptic fanatic to uncover. Abhorrence, though, would have been the most deserving of a lengthy and storied career, given that they had the greatest impact on the Finnish sound with merely a demo and an EP. They're one of my favorite death metal bands of all time for how they defined this unnerving, visceral style, so it should come as no surprise that a release which offers tight, satisfying live renditions of all their classic songs is more than welcome in my eyes.

These songs feel just as heavy, foreboding, and repulsive on stage as they do on Abhorrence and Vulgar Necrolatry, the guitar and drums punching through just enough to grab you by the balls the same way they did on the original recordings, but not enough to drown out Jukka's distinctive vocals. Since his vocals have always been somewhere between guttural death growls and raspy, throat-razing shrieks, it feels right for the instrumentation to not be overly murky either. Yet still, Abhorrence were always able to capture the rotten, putrid sound even without a cavernous feel. They didn't even entirely abandon thrash on the demo or EP, but they made it work with compositions that simply carry a certain gloomy, sepulchral atmosphere in whatever setting they're played. "Pestilential Mists" may be iconic on the self-titled EP, but it feels instantly familiar on this live album too.

Another key point about the music of Abhorrence is that it's always been quite freakish sounding. My friends in the metal community like to describe bands and albums with single words, and along with early Pestilence, we all agree that Abhorrence was a freakish band, in the sense that they're more deranged with their morbidity than the average death metal band, and it makes you feel uneasy. Whether it's the thrashier cuts like the classic headbanger "Holy Laws of Pain", the descending tremolo lines in "Devourer of Souls", or the doomier segments in "Vulgar Necrolatry" and "Pleasures of Putrid Flesh", the live setting is a very neat and fresh (actually rotten), but still authentic compliment to these already repugnant musical numbers.

On that point, the tone of the music here is obviously much closer to the self-titled EP than to the Vulgar Necrolatry demo, just because it's way clearer sounding, whereas the demo had a very dirty and raw sound (certainly defining the putrid atmosphere). This means that the songs from the demo are sort of spilling their guts more, revealing intricacies that were harder to notice when listening to the original tape. "Devourer of Souls", "Pleasures of Putrid Flesh", and "Vulgar Necrolatry" still sound superb on this release, but more as though they were also featured on the EP.

This is a splendid album to own if you want some Abhorrence on CD or vinyl in your collection, but can't track down the Completely Vulgar compilation, least of all an original copy of their EP. It features fantastic, authentic renditions of all their classic death metal tunes, and proves them to be a worthy contender for the most unnerving yet headbangable death metal band. Certainly, a release like this will keep them relevant despite their body of work being a shortlived stroke of genius back in the 90's. It's all the more impressive that these guys are playing these songs again after reuniting, delivering authentic Finnish death metal two decades later. They are the originators after all!

Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 24, 2019.

The sulphurous stench of black metal appears in many forms and the Swedish duo with the almost unspeakable name Azelisassath presents its own interpretation. This is not to say that they have found their special, experimental approach. The opposite is true, In Total Contempt of All Life is a typical black metal underground output. Nevertheless, the Scandinavians dish up their own icy cocktail while following the tried and tested methods. This is what makes black metal fascinating: the seemingly narrow frame leaves more room for creative thoughts than it seems. And we can be sure that more exciting, yet traditional variations are yet to come.

Azelisassath do not strive after new extremes. Black metal has this excessive element in itself. That makes it easy to spread the vibes of misanthropy as soon as one has completely understood the spiritual core of the subgenre. Obviously, the artists have quickly learned the laws of black metal. The scornful, partly inhuman voice coalesces with the lava-like instrumentation and musty atmosphere flirts successfully with insensitive harshness. The duo combines the well-known components masterly and the production supports the underground charm of the material. The drums, for example, fight a losing battle. Their place is the backyard and sometimes I need a hearing aid to know they are still there. But it belongs to the mysteries of black metal that usually important details become totally irrelevant as long as the spirit of the music is expressed convincingly. Needless to say, that technical tricks also do not play an essential role. The dudes are no amateurs, but high-sophisticated song structures are not their playground. On the other hand, we are still talking about black metal of the true Norwegian / Scandinavian kind and this means that the conventional verse-chorus-verse pattern does not occur as well. At first glance, In Total Contempt of All Life seems to be another primitive product, but appearances are deceiving. The album sounds raw and intense, bitter and grim, but it does not concentrate on overly simple designs.

The highlights, namely “Malignant Soul Rape”, “His Desecrating Evilness” and “Path of Misanthropic Hate”, rely on their good flow, their high degree of dedication and their pureness. One can discuss about the question which band was most influential on Azelisassath’s way of proceeding, (the true) Mayhem, early Pest (Sweden) or a combination of Urgehal and Nifelheim, but believe me, this is a monolithic output. External inspirations from beyond the black metal universe are not identifiable. The morbid severity of the compositions destroys each ray of light before the sun has the smallest chance to rise. Some desperate screams underline the total negativity of the material, but melancholic sequences do not shape the album. This work appeals to the darkest spots on your soul and only less important sections, in particular the gloomy yet actually superfluous intro and outro, do not take complete possession of the listener’s mind. However, it feels good to listen to this album and the picture disc ensures a visual charm as well. Only the subgenre-typical, never-ending flood of countless newcomers prevents that Azelisassath’s name is not better known.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Benjamin on March 23, 2021.

It's difficult to overstate the impact that Akercocke made when they broke out of London's underground extreme metal scene at the tail end of the 1990s. Although the UK had played a huge role firstly in the genesis of metal itself via Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and Venom's unholy racket had been one of the catalysts for the development of thrash and black metal in the early 1980s, outside of a fertile grind and death-doom scenes centred around Napalm Death, Carcass and Paradise Lost, the UK had been little more than a bit-part player in the global explosion of black metal and death metal emanating from the Scandinavian and American hotbeds. Cradle Of Filth, despite the polarising nature of their aesthetic, were the only British black metal band at that point that had successfully transcended their local scene, and despite the best efforts of a congested and incestuous London community, there were few bands that seemed especially likely to replicate Cradle Of Filth’s success, let alone challenge the best that Norway, Sweden or even the Netherlands had to offer at that time. So when Akercocke emerged, seemingly fully-formed, complete with striking sartorial choices and a high concept vision together with the ability to realise it, it was a stunning bolt from the blue, and they were almost immediately transformed into one of extreme metal’s most intriguing and forward-thinking bands. Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene is at once a statement of the band’s overt and seductively blasphemous Satanism, and a slightly (but only slightly) rough and ready template for a sound that they would perfect over a sequence of outstanding albums that would end only with their initial dissolution in 2012.

It would be a mistake to dismiss Akercocke’s first album on the basis that it is not yet the perfect realisation of their sound, however. While they would go on to make more impressive albums, their debut transcends its occasionally under-powered production with a succession of songs virtually over-flowing with enthralling ideas and impressive musicianship. Akercocke also succeed because, like many of metal’s most iconic bands (and perhaps contrary to the protestations of some fans who maintain that the music is the only thing that counts), they offer more than simply excellent music. First comes the name, and linked to this, the thematic conceit of their first album. In a scene stuffed to bursting with death metal bands referencing some kind of unpleasant bodily mutilation, and Tolkien and Norse mythology-obsessed black metal bands, the mysterious and esoteric name of Akercocke, not unlike their British contemporaries Anaal Nathrakh, was impossible to forget once heard. This moniker gains an additional layer of interest when one learns that the name was taken from Robert Nye’s re-telling of the Faust mythos, specifically a capuchin monkey given to Faust through Satan himself. It also lends some depth to the band’s avowed Satanism, something far beyond the cartoonish facade of the many bands that have invoked the devil’s name and image through the years purely (and frequently successfully) to shock. Their spiritual beliefs bring a palpable authenticity to their music, and serve to enhance the genuinely disquieting atmosphere imparted by the songs themselves, and also the black mass-style interludes and invocations that are often utilised to bridge one song to another. Finally, the band’s aesthetic, encompassing their instantly recognisable monochrome artwork (generally featuring sexual images of women in various states of undress) as well as their be-suited onstage presence, demonstrates both a seriousness of intent and the creation of a totally immersive and coherent universe in which the band operate, and which the listener is able to completely lose themselves in.

Of course, all of this has function in complement to the music itself – if the songs failed to match the impressiveness of the concept, Akercocke would have been as dead in the water as any other style over substance band. Fortunately, this is resolutely not the case with Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene, and therefore all of the peripheral elements serve only to strengthen the whole edifice, an edifice that would be further reinforced by the albums that followed. As soon as ‘Hell’, the first track proper kicks in, following a suitably eerie chanted declaration which acts to prepare the listener for the upcoming assault, it is immediately clear that something startling and unprecedented is taking place. The band could so easily have launched into one of the many ripping riffs that populate the album, but instead prioritise atmosphere, by choosing to delay gratification, ‘Hell’ commencing with seething, demonic discordance, and almost whispered vocals. Once the crunching guitars do finally surge into action, the song continues through a whirlwind of ferocious tremolo riffing, complex tempo changes and intriguing rhythmic ideas. ‘Hell’ represents the infernal genesis of a riffing style that is highly individual and instantly recognisable. More often than not, Akercocke are ostensibly playing a slightly avant-garde version of death metal. The most aggressive tracks on this record generally combine snatches of single string tremolo blasts with lengthy passages of spidery, technical melodies, the twin guitars frequently alternating between unison sections, and segments in which they break into split harmonies that generally eschew classic metal intervals for something considerably more evil-sounding. The nearest comparison would be early Morbid Angel, or perhaps Nile at their most direct, although it should be noted that the trace elements of thrash that are so apparent on "Altars Of Madness" are almost entirely absent from Akercocke’s sound. What makes Akercocke so unique though, is the fact that they are clearly not just a death metal band. Philosophically, their Satanism places them much closer to orthodox black metal, and although musically the band share little in common with mid-90s Norsecore, the way in which they are able to imbue their music with a sense of awe and majesty allows them, in combination with a subtle use of synths, to straddle the death metal / black metal divide with skill. Finally, the progressive touches which will become significantly more pronounced as their discography is expanded is of a piece with a black metal scene that, as the 20th century drew to a close, was introducing a plethora of different sounds to the black metal template, resulting in the dramatic transformation of previously orthodox bands such as Enslaved, Dodheimsgard and Thorns into wildly progressive musical explorers.

As the album progresses, it’s clear that although all elements of the band’s sound may not be fully-realised in the way that they will be on The Goat Of Mendes, they are all discernible to varying degrees. When they all coalesce, as they do on early career highlight ‘Nadja’, or the monumental ‘Justine’, the results are astounding. ‘Nadja’ seamlessly welds a memorable Morbid Angel meets Beherit tremolo riff to some slick and dextrous lead playing, and overlays the whole with some truly vicious vocals. Another feature of the Akercocke sound is the clever use of contrasting vocal styles, which frequently overlap to create a disorienting feel, and ‘Nadja’ leans heavily on high-pitched screamed vocals to wonderfully unsettling effect. The complexity of the rhythmic interplay between David Gray’s outstanding drumming and the guitars, and the harmonic counterpoints that the guitars create completely belies the band’s naivety as a recording act, and frankly, the level of compositional sophistication displayed here put Akercocke at the forefront of a small number of death metal bands forging new paths for the genre in 1999. ‘Justine’ demonstrates a similar melodic intricacy, and the way in which this spellbinding track evolves from an introductory section in which the band give the impression that they are rising, undead, from eldritch depths, through a subtle electro section, Gray’s patterns mimicking the breakbeats of drum ‘n’ bass, before finally climaxing in an extended progressive death metal instrumental section is utterly unique. The hint of electronics on this track is a thread that runs through the album as a whole, and a tantalising glimpse of a set of influences that run rather deeper than the obvious metallic touchpoints. This thread is audible through the ghostly interlude ‘The Goat’, and ambient outro ‘The Blood’ and although the band use these sounds cautiously on Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene, they are well-integrated enough into the Akercocke sound that they do not feel jarring or incongruous.

In fact, nothing on this ambitious debut feels out of place, even if it does not all quite hit the heights of ‘Nadja’ and ‘Justine’. In ‘Zuleika’, Akercocke give us the only track on the album that feels like a demo-level recording. The somewhat stock riffs fail to take flight and inspire in the way that they do elsewhere, and overall the song lacks the distinct personality that ordinarily makes the band’s music so memorable. Despite this though, the slightly unclassifiable blackened death metal is reminiscent of such legendary oddities as Mystifier and Root, and thus helpfully serves to connect Akercocke with the more obscure reaches of the extreme metal underground, burnishing their metal credentials, and again displays a wide-range of less obvious influences. Additionally, although the strength of the material renders it a trivial problem, the production is inconsistent at best. While at no point is it poor enough to prevent the band’s many ideas from connecting with the listener, it would be of minimal surprise to discover that Gray’s drum parts were the recorded sound of him pounding wet cardboard, and although the drum patterns themselves are outstanding, they don’t quite drive the band forward with the taut energy that the songs deserve.

These criticisms are minor complaints though, which do little to diminish the enjoyment of a supremely confident debut. Akercocke play with the kind of dismissive arrogance that one should expect from devoted Satanists, and fortunately the quality of the material matches the intent of the delivery. Even in the early stages of their career, the band have a firm grasp on the art of channelling their vision into hook-laden songwriting, while keeping things interesting via continual tempo shifts, and subtle rhythmic changes. Their riffs and melodies are often breathtakingly intricate, but although the band impress with their technical proficiency, they also clearly recognise the value of dropping into a ferocious d-beat tremolo riff to allow the listener to bang as well as scratch their head; combining beauty with brutality to thrilling effect. In their more experimental moments, they are also able to generate captivating metal from less obvious ingredients. The droning, almost ritualistic discordance of ‘Marguerite & Gretchen’ sounds familiar now, in a modern black metal scene populated by the likes of The Ruins Of Beverast and Schammasch, but in 1999 this was hugely innovative and unconventional, and it has barely dated in the years that have followed, much like the vast majority of a masterful album. Akercocke would go on to make better records, but Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene retains the magick that it radiated on its release, and remains a landmark in extreme metal, as well as the first step in an endlessly impressive career.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

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