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OGRE
Bastards Of Death

Self-released (2014)
Rating: 7/10

There are a lot of bands which claim to be mysterious but Ireland’s veteran metalheads Ogre could well lay claim to that title. The Dublin-based band formed in 1990, but in 24 years of existence have only ever released two full-length albums, including this latest effort Bastards Of Death.

When one considers that their debut album Dark Filth was issued in 1994 one could be forgiven for thinking that Ogre simply gave up and then decided to reform decades later, but I’m reliably informed that the band were merely on a break from the years 2000 to 2013! Now there’s a high level of intrigue for you!

It’s also worth adding to the high levels of strangeness by mentioning that the band members in question go by names such as Forthron The Evil (guitars / vocals), Chewed Giblet (bass / vocals) and John De Baptiste (drums, and all manner of other strange instrumentation ranging from mandolin to other effects). So, forget the gimmicks of, say, Ghost B.C. and revel in what is surely one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of the year if you know your stuff, because with tongue firmly in cheek Ogre is back with 19 (yes, 19!) truly bewildering death metal chunks.

After a short atmospheric introduction (‘…Thermal Incineration…’) we are literally battered to a pulp by the frenzy that is ‘Murdered By Millions’, an exasperating lump of molten death metal aggression featuring a vocal fury that can best be described as a chortling, demonic bellow of indecipherable quality. Ogre is simply a disturbingly odd band that reeks of a mystery that emanates from the blackened melody of utter brutality that stems from each instrument.

But one need not be fully afraid of this unhinged combo. The album is littered with news clip interludes which separate the audible carnage. It’s as if we’re experiencing War Of The Worlds meets a zombie apocalypse as sirens sing out the entrance of the crushing ‘Robot Bastard’ with its fierce ramming action of intense riffs and relentless pounding. And it’s in that sentence where I sum up Ogre, because whether it’s ‘Bastards Of Death’ or the slower, menacing, sickly trudge of ‘Mangled Bodies Of The Children’, this is one frightful hunk of a record that decimates all in its path. It is just a shame that those lower tempo, and clearly more ominous segments do not come frequently enough because ‘Mangled Bodies Of The Children’ exhibits a band masterful within the murk.

Elsewhere it’s a case of battening down the hatches and waiting for the hail, wind and torrential rain to pass. ‘Brain Driller’, ‘Pig Wizard’, the hilariously titled ‘Vadge Of The Ogre’ are all prime examples as to how these Irishmen explore either end of the extreme metal spectrum, but in its violent nature this long-awaited behemoth of a composition is at times just too darn chaotic for its own good. But having said that, the mystery deepens forever and I’m sure Ireland is proud of them… and frightened by them too!

Neil Arnold

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