Warkvlt - Bestial War Metal

In the face of black metal annihilation, some choose the course of invention and others choose rage. Somewhere between the two are the Teutonic grinders Warkvlt. Their debut album Bestial War Metal consists of superficially simple, yet conceptually complex, compositions in the blackened death metal tradition, with a strong rhythmic undercurrent that is not unreminiscent of some of the more brutal goregrind acts. Though in terms of intensity, Bestial War Metal is kilometers ahead of even the most brutal of goregrind.

One of the distinctive characteristics of Warkvlt's is the alternating blasting pump-beats racing by under the kicking double-bass and wailing snares, and the slower, more progressive sections that imprint a tempo-tied riff and expand on in, not unlike early Vermin or Incantation on Onward to Golgotha. With the guitar riffs churning out brutal riff after brutal riff, you would think that the band would be satisfied with verse/chorus structure and call it a day. But no, Warkvlt exceed expectations by not just having some of the most gruesome riffs ever devised, but they use them masterfully within some occasionally very elaborate song structures, sometimes even worthy of Phantom or Demilich.

At the end of the day, Warkvlt's debut is probably the best that has ever come out of the infamous 'war metal' scene. That's not saying much, but Bestial War Metal is still an album you should check out.

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