I am no stranger to this band, having done one of my first reviews ever of their first release, the aptly named title being “Autokrator”. I liked what I heard, this fine duo of plucky young Frenchmen where obviously out to pound in a skull or three, and set about it the right way. My kind of stuff indeed, and then along came the second release “The Obedience to Authority”, and yet again Autokrator decided to not only bring the heavy to the party, but also the freaky and the downright nightmarish. Chapter by chapter as it unfolded one could not help but be mesmerised, brutalised, and downright shit scared.
Roll on number three, “Hammer of the Heretics”, and guess what. Yes, you are back in the nightmare that they have created. And what a fucking damn fine nightmare it is. Opener “Against Flesh and Blood” starts off exactly the way one would, and should expect from these lads. Ominous, foreboding, and downright evil as a hat full of psycho axe murderers! But wait, it only gets better!
As an aside, just because you need to know, the vocalist David Bailey sounds a bit like you would think the dude on the front cover does. A gargling coherent yet smothered fucking demon, his voice not coming from the mouth area, but straight into your very soul itself. Instruments and the soundtrack to this bad but oh so good dream is provided by none other than Loic (pronounced Lowik or so I have been reliably told), who also happens to run Krucyator productions. So know you know.
Not gonna do this one track by track, but from the very first moment you will be aware that you are certainly ‘not in Kansas’ anymore to surmise. This is the soundtrack to the cruelty and abominations that flow through your subconscious If you are smiling at the end of “Le Sang Impur” (Impure Blood),then you will surely eat up “Interlude” like a man possessed. Mutilation is the key, and it is being recorded for posterity.
Title track “Hammer of the Gods”, is just that. A fucking large industrial tinged blunt edged weapon to the face. Then along comes “Inquisitio-Denunciatio-Exceptio”, which for all intents and purposes I can only loosely translate as something to do with the Spanish Inquisition, or maybe denial or exception from the aforementioned. That aside, as far as final statements or parting words go, this is the shit. The perfect ending to the nightmare, draining away to an almost martial beat. The war in your mind is over, for now at least.
Sonic violence should be a crime, and these guys are dead set fucking guilty of the offence. This album is the audio equivalent of having your ears raped, and believe me you will not forget it in a hurry. Absolute class.
Rating: 4.5/5
You too can get bloodied and fucked up right here!
The Metal Wanderlust 