originally written by Jim Brandon
As much of a thrill as it is to hear new sounds in the metal realm, there’s a comfort to knowing some bands will always deliver the same album as the one before it, just updated, and sometimes that’s perfectly fine.Angelcorpse was such a band, up until their breakup/reformation/subsequent sucking/and re-breakup. Krisiun are doing alright for themselves, though Vital Remains could use a shakeup, but the semi-veteran Singaporean black/death panzer division known asImpiety are not only ripping and blasting in respectable fashion withTerroreign (Apocalyptic Armageddon Command), they’re doing it with an eye-opening amount of savagery.
Not to say they were ever lounge music, tracks like “As Judea Burns” display a level of ballistic, simple, yet bloodletting songwriting that does nothing but kill, and kill some more. This is pure hate, as undiluted and fist-pumping as you can get, but is it too much of a good thing? Are we really living in a time where 35-or-so minutes of skin peeling havoc played with as much vitriol as possible is enough to qualify as good metal? Playing at light speed isn’t enough anymore, and neither is the mastery of basic soloing, so if you’re going to dive headfirst into this balls-out style of extreme metal, then you’ve done a respectable if not entirely expected job if Terroreign is the result.
“Bestial To The Bone” is another incredibly ruthless example of simplicity and haywire structures combining to form something quite nihilistic, I mean really, it’s downright cruel. Almost straight out of Dawn Of The Apocalypseon meth’, if the next Vital Remains disc sounds anything like this, I’d say a few people might be interested in VR again. You’re also getting songs called “The Black Fuck” with some truly charming rough sex lyrical references I’ll spare you from here, but it goes along with the uncompromising nature of the equally unkind music. You get a minute to take a breath and survey the damage on “My Dark Subconscious”, but the relatively slower groove will do your neck no favors, as they trade in speed for some damn rockin’ black n’ roll, finishing off with a blasting conclusion that sadly takes away from what is undoubtedly a standout track on this album. The whole thing races by in a flurry of bass-less tremolo, midrange screaming, and blazing drums, which has been done to death and then some, but Impiety make it a fun ride while it lasts.
So, you have a non life threatening choice if this kind of thing flicks your bic. Do you have the money to spend on something that, while done very well, is just more of the same? Or is more of the same just the kind of music collector you are, grabbing anything that sounds like your neighbors will think hell is breaking loose. If blast-heavy black/death bores you, then you’ll have absolutely no use for Terroreign, but if you just can’t get enough music to murder by, then adjust your budget accordingly to welcome the newest from Shyaithan and crew into your collection.
