Back then...back when we could still headbang to our heart's content and the neck would only do the job the next day with severe pulling pains... nostalgically I massage my muscles and think of a proper live action while listening to this massive album.…
The violently detonating death metal salvos should ignite really well on the planks that mean the world. Here on tape, the pieces also bang away really well, but the steam hammers are a bit too one-dimensional, screwing your neck off your shoulders - at least at first glance.
The barrage is skillfully interrupted by technical guitar interludes or effective tempo breaks (listen to Hedonistic Perfection) and deadly dragging grooves like those on the menacing title epic Hell On Earth add a pinch of variety.
The shimmering guitar runs on Black Rage cause rapture, the blasts that promptly follow demand respect, but tire through their constant occurrence, whereas the shouted out chorus and the slightly dissonant hints leave their mark in the memory in order to make an impression. Slowly but surely, one or the other catchy passage emerges and the initially confused structure begins to be steered in an effective direction.
For the most part, however, the heavy, pounding material reigns supreme, hardly allowing any time for breathing space, complex fiddling and rhythms knot the auditory canals and the genre-typical growls underpin the sonic massacre in a fitting manner, which in the long run seems a bit overwhelming.
The nostalgic feelings of a concert can be blown away with this album, then we just start a mini-moshpit in the living room at home!