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KRISIUN
Scourge Of The Enthroned

Century Media (2018)
Rating: 8/10

When I first heard Krisiun way back in the early 90s I had high hopes for the Brazilian deathsters, and the fact remains that through their long career they’ve become one of metal’s most consistent acts even though I wasn’t a huge fan of 2015’s Forged In Fury.

Three years have passed and now we have the band’s 11th full-length opus to contend with, and like a majority of their albums it’s another barnstorming, head-shattering, spine-breaking outburst structured by that immense and ominous trio of brothers Alex Camargo (vocals and bass), Moyses Kolesne (guitar) and Max Kolesne (drums).

The outing features eight tracks which are dished up like meaty chunks of splintered bone fed to pigs. First up is the title track which begins in truly suspenseful fashion as a slow, seething doomy guitar sound is interrupted by a punishing steady percussive throb. The sound feels somewhat old school before we’re swept up in the tide of a frantic blast of guitar, bass and drum. Mesmerising axe work suddenly announces that in the stampede we’re in another of those excellent Krisiun masterpieces where Camargo’s choppy vocal spits run in tandem with the hectic fury before him as a staggering lead worms through the meat to devour the ears. It’s a fast-paced track, as one would expect from Krisiun, but a slower segment brings further menace.

However, for me it’s the epic sounding ‘Demonic III’ which causes the greatest fire. This one crushes in true Krisiun fashion, hinting at complexity and a maniacal percussive performance – that initial juddering melody is just killer as that infectious hook weaves its way through an almost abrasive blackened death structure. It pretty much sums up the belligerence of this behemoth as Camargo’s grunts and bellows in utterly sinister fashion as if one was witnessing a pack of rabid wolves chomp down on the meat of countless victims. But what people rarely give Krisiun credit for is their streaks of engaging, barbed melody and intricacy, and for me that’s why ‘Demonic III’ remains the album’s finest moment.

But this record unravels with such aggressive majesty and ‘Devouring Faith’ comes up with a mighty thrashing death swipe built upon that monolithic hyper drum workout. Indeed, it’s one of the albums most spasmodic episodes that maintains a whirlwind dynamic. Meanwhile, ‘Slay The Prophet’, with its initial jackhammer barrage, hardly provides respite as it builds with metallic menace, jarring the ear canals and battering us into submission with its pummelling bass, while the guitar provides great fleshy walls of nastiness.

‘A Thousand Graves’ is another super-charged composition of utmost malice dished out like rounds of machine gun fire before taking a slight breather, and then once again peppering us with a whirling solo and a drum / bass tag team that literally tears the soul apart.

Elsewhere, ‘Electricide’ and ‘Abysmal Misery (Foretold Destiny)’ stir then clatter the senses in equal measure. Again we have that jarring framework of the former to lead us into a feisty, fleshy gallop of viciousness, while the latter brings a technical, hyper display to the table. Krisiun remain a fully-fledged, blood-soaked death metal act, but showcase an intriguing ability to match the likes of new Monstrosity for providing complex patterns without truly befuddling. And closer ‘Whirlwind of Immortality’ pretty much sums up the Krisiun sound of now, where once again the guitar work is astonishing as the pace quickens to the point of literal foaming.

There’s no questioning the focus of Krisiun on this opus, and while I still hear why the guys are often called the Slayer of death metal I feel that the Brazilian trio is far more consistent than the thrash kings. And with Scourge Of The Enthroned the band has released what is probably their finest effort for some time.

Neil Arnold

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