• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

This is the recently re-issued EP from Canada's filth mongers Revenge, which was originally issued on 7" back in 2002 on War Hammer Records. After much fan pressure, it's been given full CD treatment in all of its two tracked eight and a half minute glory.

Musically, Revenge are about as close to grind as you can get when it comes to black metal, with a brutal barrage of lowly tuned riffage sweeping you away in a veritable landslide of filthy audio destruction, reminiscent of the old Finnish style of black metal trademarked by Beherit and Archgoat but pushed to a more brutal, hate-filled conclusion . Riffs are barely distinguishable upon the first few listens, but intensive replays gives the greatest of repayments. Given the chance, the sublime near incoherent musical articulation shows through the mire of what at first sounds like pure noise. There are certainly musical similarities between this and early Carcass or Napalm Death, albeit with a more gunpowder scorched, blacker war hungry edge. Imagine the aural equivalent of being riddled with bullets whilst simultaneously being repeatedly ran over by a tank, and you're half way there.

However, I have two non-sonic gripes with this release, the first is that no bonus material has been added onto the criminally short run-time – sub-ten minute releases are all well and good for vinyl EPs and splits, but for a re-issued CD? Surely they could've dug up some unreleased stuff, demos or even the track from the split with Arkhon Infaustus – anything to pad it out a bit. My 2nd grievance is that no care has been taken in the packaging – the CD doesn't even come in a jewel case. Instead it comes in a card sleeve, similar to those used on promotional albums, which is pretty lazy if you ask me. Anyhow, these things taken into account, the music certainly makes up for it. A worthy addition to your 'war metal' collection.