Worship Metal Album Of The Week – Blasphemer – Blasphemer
Death metal the old way!
From the ashes of the UK’s early 90’s death metal underground, Blasphemer have finally delivered their debut album consisting of 10 death metal tracks done the old way! Ok, so that’s pretty much us cribbing from Blasphemer’s bandcamp page but it perfectly sums up this colossal debut from a band born over 20 years ago, back when death metal was in its prime!
Originally formed in Dewsbury, England in 1990, Blasphemer released several highly acclaimed underground releases within the tape trading scene of the early 90’s. But, it wasn’t until 2014 that the band reformed with core members Arno Cagna, Mass Firth (and the addition of Dan Mullins on Drums and Dale Brown on Bass) and the seeds of their long-awaited debut were sown.
Frankly, Blasphemer is a revelation. An absolute, death/thrash monster from the golden age of brutality. It’s heavier than a walrus tap-dancing on your knackers but still maintains that head-banging tune-smithery that made this sort of satanic sacrilege so damn special over 25 years ago. Evil lyrics, groove, thrashy moments, mid-paced battery, the odd semi-acoustic strum to build tension….it’s all here. It’s all delivered with total conviction.
With an air of Deicide (“Blasphemer”, the title track, would be right at home on Deicide‘s debut), a hint of Benediction and a whiff of Malevolent Creation, Blasphemer simply delivers riff after riff and track after track of death metal excellence that’s practically faultless. Maybe we’re just feeling overly nostalgic but we’ll be fucked if this doesn’t transport you back to the days when you first plucked up the guts to press play on Deicide, Altars Of Madness, The Ten Commandments & From Beyond.
27 years in the making and more than worth the wait, Blasphemer came as somewhat of a shock but what we have here is another welcome return from a band long thought lost to history. The difference is that this time, we have a minor classic on our hands. 9/10
Leave a comment