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Let me start the review for “Confess Your Sins” with confessing a big sin of mine. Shame on me, I often ignore that speed metal can be as radical and sharp as thrash. Something deep in the backyard of my slowly rotting brain constantly betrays me. It makes me think that speed is only the light-weighted brother of thrash. But bands such as Baphomet Blood show the speed metal sign with pride and their level of vehemence, force and belligerence is on a par with the one of the old school thrashers. Slaughtered Priest are spiritual brothers of the aforementioned Italians. Already their name illustrates their lovely mindset. The infantile and badly executed artwork underlines their anti-clerical and against-authorities-attitude, if I am not completely mistaken. Naturally, the lyrics make no sense. A bloodthirsty pentagram bitch meets perverted priests and if you thrash the witch you get sacred piss for purest bliss and further diabolic yada yada yada. But these things are part of the game when we dive into this somewhat blackened approach of speed metal.
It doesn’t matter. The crucial element, the music (what else?), will readjust the hollow thing which sits on your neck lazily. Bang or be banged, while a storm of energy, riffs, scorn, more riffs, high velocity and still more riffs is blowing restlessly. I confess another sin: I am not familiar with the discography of the Greeks so far. Thus, I am not able to say whether “Confess Your Sins” is among their best albums or not. But either it is or this is one of the most competent formations in the speed thrash black metal territory. All eight tracks cast their spell upon the listener immediately, but they do not show first signs of wear after three or four spins (the so-called Toxic Holocaust symptom). There are no modern grooves or any other foreign influences, no acoustic interludes, no keyboards. Hyperactive fans of progressive metal with surprising twists and turns to the brim – you are absolutely wrong here. It is enough that the duo avoids repetitiveness and varies the tempo from time to time while it fires its ugly sound lumps into the – imaginary – audience. The production probably does not fulfil highest expectations, but it lends the songs enough pressure, edges and corners and therefore they can develop their almost murderously shredding effect.
Slaughtered Priest do not have a close eye on parts which keep sticking in the brain in a matter of seconds, but sometimes they create a certain degree of catchiness as a kind of collateral benefit. Their riffs are never bulky or clumsy. Instead, they generate a natural flow without losing one iota of the metallic robustness. The enthusiasm of the duo is remarkable and its songs have a contagious effect on the listener. I know it indicates a lazy reviewer when no highlights of an album are mentioned, but sometimes a general statement says it all: you will not find a song here which is “only” good. All of the eight tracks give you the feeling of having entered an unstoppable whirlwind. The programmatically titled “Speed Metal Attack” wants to make you believe that “Confess Your Sins” is just another album where the artists have chosen the best song as opener, but that’s not true. Already the first guitar tones of the following title track create an irresistible pull again and the same applies for “Order to Kill”, whose riff is maybe the king of kings here. What a power, what an attraction, what a metallic purity. (By the way, this song title reminds me of At War’s “Ordered to Kill”. This album is not stylistically comparable, because Slaughtered Priest do not show an affinity for Motörhead, but it was based on a similar approach in terms of non-complexity, straightness and musical honesty.) “Malicious Perversion”, the final track of the A side, does not only deliver the description for the artwork and (especially) the back cover. It unleashes another wave of speedy, intensive sounds, although the band does not make any use of blast beats. This stylistic device is not allowed in the classrooms of the old school and Slaughtered Priest respect nobody and nothing, but the curriculum of this very special educational institution.
The B side does not fall by the wayside in any way. Its four songs are absolutely on an equal footing with the outstanding standard the first half of the album has set. Probably I lack fantasy or I am just stupid, but I do not find the smallest grain of mediocrity or shit. All these sawing riffs and each and every restlessly advancing line hit the bull’s eye. Slaughtered Priest have taken the uncompromising cruelty of Marduk songs like “Souls of Belial”, “Narva” or “Werwolf” and have put it into a speed metal suit. It seems as these dudes want to be the final enemy of the Christian church, or, more general, of values like compassion, tolerance and humanity – and this album catapults them very close to their aim. The totally excellent closer “Demonic Terror” invites me to a final trip to insanity. But first I would like to thank the algorithm on YouTube who suggested this band and this album to me. Dear algo, I will have an ouzo on you tonight. No, two at least, even though I hate the taste of aniseed. Finally, only for the two or three guys who haven’t understood it yet: this album is musically perfect, only the artwork and the lyrics lead to minimal deductions in the rating.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=yze98O1-_R8
