Spellforger, the black/thrash horde from Bandung, has come to my attention back in the day when they released their single “Pestilentia”, and now they attack again with their EP titled “Upholders of Evil”.
Good timing, I’d say. I was craving some old school metal – something in the vein of the classic Destruction album “Eternal Devastation”, which was one of the first things from the true metal I’ve had a chance to hear as a kid.
As I am in a process of collecting those old albums which formed my upbringing, before that classic lands in my collection again in the form of CD, there’s a more than worthy successor to fill that hunger. And we’re gonna have a listen to it, what do you say?
Spellforger – and their material – reeks of that old school stench straight from the tomb, where the corpses wear old denim sleeveless vests full of patches and button badges. From the logo, the EP cover artwork, down to the song titles (not to mention the music itself), this one is designed to make every old metalhead tearful with the memories and happy to re-kindle the spirit of the past and.
From the opening intro “Upholders of Evil” (do you remember when every good album started with the intro?) to “Pestilentia”, the last track of the EP, this material is exactly that old school, underground thrash metal brought back with a full force. The songwriting brings back the memories of aforementioned Destruction and a few other legendary bands (Slayer, Kreator and the like), these guys have done their homework and as such this EP is more than a simple carbon copy. It’s even more than a homage or a tribute – this is the torch being passed from the old generation to the bearers of today.
Again, as I’ve already written elsewhere, this also gets the distinction of being the stuff I can listen on repeat even as a background music, the way I’ve listened to metal back in the day. All day long, again and again. No fillers, just killers – and that’s what’s classic thrash metal was about. Really, it’s even hard to pick up a favourite, all songs are equally good.
Yep, Spellforger is the embodiment of the era long gone, but this one is very much alive and well.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spellforger.band
Bandcamp: https://spellforger.bandcamp.com/album/upholders-of-evil
