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BATLORD
Depressive & Aggressive EP

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 7/10

Here’s a story for you. Long, long ago when I was a zit-ridden teenager with hair that wouldn’t grow how I wanted it I stumbled upon a band I thought were named Batlord. It turn out they were in fact Bathory, grand masters of evil metal. I’m surprised that since this rather embarrassing episode which took place in the 80s, where I continuously spoke about a band called Batlord who didn’t exist, that a band hasn’t used the name for their own blend of darkness.

And now here we are, decades later, we have Batlord, a rather hellish one-man project from New York chap Ryan Bloom. I know nothing else about Bloom, but the music speaks for itself on this debut four-track monstrosity.

This is basically harsh black metal to make your ears suffer; rattling, rollicking noise with hammering percussion, rough n’ harsh vocal yaps, and wild war-torn solos that emerge from the furnace of fiery black thrash.

There are slower passages – to great effect on ‘They Come At Night’ – but they don’t last too long, so instead we are battered and spiked by this relentless barrage of black, choking smoke and bile. Yes, there are faint odes to Bathory, but for the most part it’s far more harsh.

Of the four cuts, the most foreboding and grim is ‘Endless Obsidian’. The hissing, menacing slower breaks really do make for a creepy listen, especially with the slimy narration, but the black speed assaults are never far away. It’s frosty, pitch black, raw, and above all lo-fi and riddled with rage, horror and depressive aesthetics.

A tune such as ‘Bear The Mark’ reeks of second wave black metal nuances, and if you can handle that barking, whooping sort of vocal attack then I’ve no doubt you’ll revel in the blackness this EP has to offer.

As opening track ‘Nothing / No One’ showcases, Batlord is a no frills and intense ride of intense negative emotion. This is not music for the faint of heart and the silence once it finishes is quite welcomed.

Neil Arnold

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