Limited to 1052 copies
With a name like Maniac Butcher you might expect to get a band dedicated to sheer brutality. If you've ever heard any of their music, or know anything of their music philosophy, then you know that brutality is in endless supply. This is one Czech Republic black metal outfit that doesn't mess around; they play straight for the gullet, probably hoping you'll choke on their blast beats, howling shrieks, and shrill riffs. "Lucan - Antikrist" is no different; it is minimalist and mean.
The opening to "Treachery" (or "Zrada" - for simplicity reasons, I will here on out, only refer to song titles in English) is a soft and ominous male choir. At 0:26 vocalist Barbarud Hrom comes in shrieking and you immediately know that the choir was the last thing you will hear that isn't merciless blood-thirsty black metal.
The drums are pretty straight forward: lots of blast beats. Michael doesn't waste any time showing us his chops, as he immediately (on "Treachery") begins blasting away. He's pretty heavy on the cymbals, which I liked. The cymbals are lower in the mix than the bass drum and snare, which isn't necessarily uncommon, but I just like how short and crisp they sounded. The drums are pretty perfect for Maniac Butcher, super basic, and driving. The fills are even nothing short of straight forward brutality. Some might not like the lack of variance in the drums, which I can understand. However, I think in terms of the band at hand, they're pretty right on. Don't get me wrong though, there's some drumming that isn't just blast beats. Most of "Castle of Saaz" showcases a more mid tempo beat (though, there's still a good portion of blast beats throughout).
The guitars are what you might expect, dissonant tremolo picked goodness. For the most part we get three or more riffs per song (often time, changing from one to the next on a dime). The riffs aren't anything mind-blowing, but they're vigorous and keep my attention (with most of the songs at the four and half to five minute mark, I think this says something). The guitars aren't always straight aggression though. From 3:39-3:51 they play a nice little lead/solo of sorts. It's a nice little change up. Plus with it lasting a little over 10 seconds, the brutality can continue without really losing any steam. From 1:55-3:03 in "The Judgment Day" is a nice little section of brooding evil, it actually even made me think of someone getting judged (though I'm sure the title supplied most of this feeling). Those are just a couple of examples, but the point is, while most of the guitars are attacks of tremolo picking, that isn't the only thing they do (I especially enjoy the solo at 2:44 in "The Last Battle").
Something that was done frequently on "Lucan - Antikrist", was most of the music stops for a second and just the guitar wails away - this is shortly followed by [usually] an extremely militant, in your face section of discordant guitars, blasting, and cacophonous vocals. I found these sections to be extremely enjoyable, and a very fitting transition for the band. At 3:54 in "The Judgment Day" is a good example of this.
The vocals are simply great. They're raw and throaty. Barbarud Hrom really sounds as though he actually taking his pure hatred (lyrically, it seems like his hatred for the church) in putting it into a audible form: a sharp, earsplitting screech. There's absolutely no variety with Hrom's vocals, which is exactly how I like them - uncompromising.
The album isn't a rare classic, and it doesn't even really scream of uniqueness. The thing that makes "Lucan - Antikrist" a good album is that I expect one thing, and Maniac Butcher delivers that exact expectation. To sound a little monotonous, that expectation is brutality. "Lucan - Antikrist" is less than 38 minutes of ruthless and barbarous black metal. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, "Lucan - Antikrist" (and Maniac Butcher) might be just the thing that you've been searching for.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=uPAPvyPcgJo&list=PLIJA5zQf1D-ndIEd3WUoEk_MEfSSizd4L
