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What do you get when you take the brutality of Hellhammer's Apocalyptic Raids and give it the production it never had without losing one iota of the evil incarnate atmosphere? Oh, and have the lyrics in Japanese? (don't worry; "ooooh!" sounds the same in Japanese as it does in English!) You get Rites of Evil, the diabolical debut from Japan's Evil. It's all here, folks; crushing Thrash riffs, squealing solos and evil croaks all wrapped up with a big, black bow and an upside-down cross on top. These guys just rip from start to finish, with an occasional sound effect to provide a little contrast and crank up the morbid vibe. The album is a hellish, first-wave Black Metal whirlwind that will take your breath and, if you aren't careful, your soul away. I care not one whit that these songs go by in a blur and sound similar to one another because I'm too busy banging my head. Fans of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Possessed, early Sodom, etc. will need to make some room in the collection for Rites of Evil.