Blitz reviews 90: IRONHAWK, MEGATON SWORD, FELVUM, PANDEMIC, QRIXKUOR

90th part of the short reviews.

IRONHAWK – Ritual of the Warpath
Year: 2022
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Rating: 8 / 10

An Australian metalpunk trio, in which, fortunately, 90% of the punk is in the image. Musically, it's darkened hooligan speed metal with apocalyptic lyrics, and made, it should be noted, with a wonderful sense of how it should sound. MOTÖRHEAD, JOEL GRIND, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, DISHAMMER - the band is working in the same direction. I was struck by the extraordinary variety of their compositions, consisting of time-tested movements and solutions. Each track is clearly different from the others, which is very rare in this style. Take a notice!

 

MEGATON SWORD – Might & Power
Year: 2023
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Rating: 5 / 10

Epic heavy metal from Switzerland. Great, exalted music, and with it - unbearable vocals, which can only be tolerated for the sake of this very music. I couldn't stand it for a long time.

 

FELVUM – Fullmoon Mysticism
Year: 2022
Label: Out of Season
Rating: 7 / 10

Traditional black metal in the style of "Transilvanian Hunger", old BURZUM, early Polish bands and so on. Recorded by members of the highly dubious formations MRTVA VOD and KËKHT ARÄKH, but recorded with understanding and authentic spirit. Pay attention. In digital form, the mini-album can be picked up from Bandcamp for free.

 

PANDEMIC – Crooked Mirror
Year: 2023
Label: Awakening Records
Rating: 9 / 10

Very fine Polish heavy thrash, embodying a solid anachronism. If you send this album back in the past for 40 years, no one will suspect anything, because everything here is so authentic, from the music to the sound. At the same time, the band members are not even 30 years old (the oldest is 28), and the sound is mixed and mastered by the guy who is only 23!!! Of course, everything is played very technically, briskly, with a spark. The album not only embodies the style, but also speaks its strong word in it, which, it would seem, is almost impossible in our time. Of course, this is not really my thing - readers of Bagnik Zine probably know that for me, the ideal of Thrash is DEATHHAMMER. But I can't help but note the hard work of these Polish guys, real enthusiasts, who treated their work so selflessly, as if it is still 80s, although they perfectly understood that they had no prospect of becoming world-famous artists. Chwała PANDEMIC!

 

QRIXKUOR – Zoetrope
Year: 2022
Label: Invictus Productions
Rating: 8,4 / 10

A fairly typical release for Invictus Productions: ultra-dark and heavy black metal with a puzzling ideological concept and corresponding music. I admit, all these TEITANBLOODS, GRAVE MIASMAS, HIC IACETS and other bands of this kind completely bored me a long time ago; there are too many of them, and this style is quite limited in terms of ideas. However, QRIXKUOR managed to capture my attention, as on this EP they very skillfully used violins and a set of musical instruments from Middle or Far East, giving their 24-minute piece a grandiose and pompous sound. Finally, England offered some respectful Black Metal.