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VITRIOLIC
Black Steel Vengeance

Headsplit (2024)
Rating: 7.5/10

Doing exactly what it says on the rickety coffin lid, Black Steel Vengeance is more blasphemous than someone taking a crap on a crucifix.

Emerging three years after debut full-length Renegade Ascension, this ten track dose of black speed metal is stuffed to the hilt with teenage lyrics, whether it’s “Bloodlusting suckling sharpening its teeth,” from ‘Hellspawn – Heir To Darkness’, “Volcanic power, thundering force, our weapons maybe of iron but the men are of steel,” from ‘Trench Rider’ or “Suck my blood and ride the serpent,” from ‘The Eternal Return’. However, structured all around this demonic waffling is a shroud of seriousness.

Vitriolic band members Gatekeeper Ares (vocals and guitar), Irreverentor (bass) and V Von Vitriolic (drums) are daubed in corpse paint donned in leather and spikes, and for 41 minutes the Finnish band puke out enough smoke to cloud the brightest sky. This is reasonably wicked clamour that spits like a fiery cobra as an amalgamation of Motörhead and grotesque thrash punk clashes into one forceful cocktail of billowing venom.

As soon as ‘Crown Of Fire’ bursts through the door the listener is confronted by a charred and rabid manifestation seething from its guts as scathing vocal snarls interact with snaking whiplash axe work. The crash bang wallop tumult might be relatively standard for this sort of genre but Vitriolic takes no prisoners with its brand of church burning spite.

As you delve further into the lyrics there is a deep seated amount of stone faced devilry and hatred to accompany the black fumes of the ravenous ‘The Hunt’ which borders on a black-death style. The drums and solos kick hard on this maniacal outburst as the band reaches a hellish hyper mode.

At their catchiest though, the trio gallops melodiously and almost traditionally on ‘Envenom Katharsis’, the framework shimmering like some Exciter swiftness that bristles with spiked exuberance and violent poise. ‘Martial Spirit’ is another brisk and blackened tirade that drips with a choking rawness as Gatekeeper Ares demands, “Give me a violent death, death in combat!,” to an avalanche of heavily sooted drums.

The closing title cut brings more scything axework as Ares asks, “Do you hear the bells, they toll for thee? Do you see the glare of the eyes of satan? Hear it coming, the storm of steel!”. Indeed, metal has rarely sounded so raucous and rampant, even with such black winged blistering. Lucifer will be smiling from ear to ear.

Neil Arnold

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