November 20, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Unholy Lust offers a somewhat basic, yet very effective brand of under-polished black thrash that is really a good listening experience. What I like about this California outfit is that they seem to be worshipping at the altar of Possessed, yet with some finer modern elements.

The “Intro” is really cool, creating a very malevolent feel, so when “Satan’s Church” kicks into the air you’re pretty much ready for anything. I like vocalist/guitarist Alvaro Sancen’s delivery of a breathy rasp that is still clear and enunciates the lyrics to an understandable degree. In a track like “Torso” this type of style is perfect as it creates a massive feel of evil and sinister effort. The mix on the vocals almost sounds ethereal, as if funneled through some speaker of lower quality, but it does nothing to take away from the performance; the lyrics are clear and the device works, intentional or not. The music overall is fast, definitely under-shined, which adds to the charm of it if the past eras of death and thrash are what grab your throat and squeeze. For what it is, pound for pound, it’s a fine little CD that shouldn’t be dismissed.

I didn’t expect too much going into this CD, which is pretty much par for the course with me since I’m quite happily surprised  a lot of times by a good band putting out some engaging music. What might be run-of-the-mill for most is standard operating procedure here in terms of old school black/death metal, and Unholy Lust has the blueprint mapped out all over the mixing desk. There’s 80’s west coast all over this music, from Possessed to Dark Angel, and for a band that started out as a punk band you can definitely hear a slight recklessness to the music that is certainly steeped in punk influence, but not so much as to call it crossover or punk/thrash. The ever-fine line between the two shan’t necessarily meet here, but the influences alone make for a great offering of basic, yet effective black arts music.

Some of the stronger tracks on here are “Stench of Death,” “Torso,” “Satan’s Church,” and “Infernal Blasphemy.” This is the band’s first full-length after demos and a couple of live albums, so hopefully some music along similar lines will find its way through our hallowed halls again sometime soon. While not breaking any records for originality, Unholy Lust makes its presence known with old-school blackened death the likes of which made the genre famous Stateside so many years ago.   

Release Date: 2010
Label: Blood Harvest Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Intro
2.  Satans Church
3.  Body Count
4.  Torso
5.  Thy Angel Dust
6.  Infernal Blasphemy
7.  Stench of Death
8.  Back from the Dead
9.  She's a Head Hunter
10.  Horrified Visions
11.  Interlude
12.  Taste the Sin Through the Fire
13.  Warriors of Death

Total playing time:  40:33

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Unholy Lust - Taste the Sin Through the Fire