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BÜTCHER
On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing

Osmose Productions (2024)
Rating: 8/10

2024 produces another slice of cool album art (courtesy of Kris Verwimp) this time from Bütcher, the Antwerp, Belgium-based quintet who are now on their third full-length opus. If you’re not familiar with the works of vocalist R Hellshrieker and lead guitarist KK Ripper then now is the time to be scorched. They are joined by KV Bonecrusher who was bassist from 2022 but has since switched to guitar, while the two newest members, drummer R Voidsmasher and bassist AK Nosferatör, complete the current line-up.

So, with cover art occupying your eyes, lend your ears to short introduction ‘A Divine Wind’ which is followed by seven chunks of blasphemous blackened speed which sound like they were wrenched from the stinking pits of 1985. You’ll find a whole screaming horde of bands dishing out similar aesthetics, but the ravenous Bütcher is a different brood. The band channel New Wave Of British Heavy Metal vibes which they pit with strange and dramatic King Diamond echoes, especially in the satanic squawks of Mr Hellshrieker who is like some soul possessed by many voices.

Don’t let the cheesy track titles such as ‘A Sacrifice To Satan’s Spawn’ and ‘Keep The Steele (Flamin’ Hot)’ put you off, after all this is the band who named their first two albums Bestial Fükkin’ Warmachine (2017) and 666 Goats Carry My Chariot (2020)! Instead, revel among the toxic clouds of ‘Speed Metal Samurai’, a gloriously old school and destructive slice that marries the likes of Sodom, Destruction, vintage Iron Maiden, Venom and Tank.

That’s the theme throughout; rusty gallops from iron horses which strides across oxidized landscapes, all led by the snarling yelps of their master. ‘Blessed By The Blade’ is equally as maniacal as Bütcher step on the gas and burn rubber with a tirade of sizzling leads and hectic percussion.

‘Koraktor’s Iron Rule’ reminds me of UK occult thrashers Sabbat, more so in the sniping vocals and snappy axe work. And yet within the layers of speed and black dust there are such moments of cleverness and conniving as ‘A Gypsy’s Tale (Of Sex And Seance)’ begins oh so wistfully before the ensuing evil march and death metal grunts.

There’s no doubt that Bütcher keeps the listener on their toes, sucking them up in a swirling vortex of silt and sediment before almost comforting them with a warm NWOBHM-styled volley as exhibited on the excellent ‘A Sacrifice To Satan’s Spawn’. Three albums in and this clan of lunatics should be on the radar of anyone who dares call themselves a metal fan. All hail Bütcher.

Neil Arnold

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