Azarath - Diabolic Impious Evil

It’s tough not to laugh at song titles like “Baptized in Sperm of the Antichrist” or “Intoxicated by Goat Vomit,” or an album title that essentially parses to “Evil Evil Evil.” But Azarath brings the fucking hammer, which isn’t a surprise given that Inferno from Behemoth is on drums and Trufel, from the criminally underrated Yattering (RIP), is on guitar. Add members of Cenotaph and Damnation, and you have one hell of a Polish death metal supergroup.

Hell indeed seems to be the focus, but no printed lyrics came with the promo. Perhaps that’s just as well, since “For Satan My Blood” and “Goathorned’s Revenge” seem self-explanatory. The music also speaks for itself. Behemoth can get a bit mechanical at times, so Inferno sounds quite uncaged here. The guitar work is smoking, with pick squeals and whinnying leads galore. I love how how the solo in “Devil’s Stigmata” sounds like it walks into the room unannounced, though in reality the song drops a bar or two to feel that way.

In his book, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge, Keith Kahn-Harris talks about how much of extreme metal is about control. Death metal often feels like a gigantic clench, as guitarists furrow their brows with technicality. This album, though, feels like metallers taking breaks from their main bands and blasting out some jams. Energy pours from this record; it’s available at Pagan and ISO666.