The many profiles Heavy Metal music has carried over all these 30-40 years has proven to be on basic advantage for the potential fan to fall in love with. You can e.g. relate SAXON to motorcycles and trains, BLIND GUARDIAN to elves and bards, KING DIAMOND to ghosts and shadows, OMEN to swords and warriors, AGENT STEEL to sci-fi terror and the illuminati, DEICIDE to Satanism and anti-christianity and POSSESSED to evil and the occult. On second thought, the 'dark' and 'evil' side has always been a favorite subject for many bands in the traditional Hard Rock/Heavy Metal and surely becomes a favorite topic in the so-called extreme Metal scene. Many godafathers we can blame for such a genesis, but when you worship the ill likes of VENOM, REPULSION, SARCOFAGO, primal SEPULTURA, AUTOPSY, AMEBIX, early SODOM and late DARKTHRONE then you surely sound old-school and uncompromised and - provided you have a good musical and songwriting knowledge - possibly kick some fine Metal ass. And your name is BASTARD PRIEST...

If you feel offended by such bands names and terminologies, you can skip this review. Else, rest assured this profane Sweds will fill your soul with unholy, blasphemous and infernal Death/Black/Speed/Crust Metal from the very depths of hell. Having a few doubts 'bout the chaotic vocals - they seem a little bit overblown at times - there's nothing you should really think twice regarding the band's first full-length CD called "Under The Hammer Of Destruction". It's 34 minutes filled with pure diabolical mayhem owing a lot to the Newcastle, England godfathers but also to everything perverted and occult thriving in your CD/LP collection. Especially if you've given enough money for stuff from labels such as Iron Bonehead, Hells Headbangers, Blood Harvest and Heavy Artillery.

The songs have speed, but do not expect blastbeats or something close: the traditional Speed Metal rhythm section (bringing some of Crust/early HC to mind) backs up well the accursed guitar mafia which offers simple yet unhallowed riffs topped by some tartarean singing. Solo parts exist for not long enough and you certainly cannot expect something miraculous in the sector, but the torch is passed in ease: if the very depths of hell and blasphemy are living in your guts, take the chance to listen to this album. Then you may confirm enough of this so called today's served 'satanic' Black Metal stuff is as lame as it can get.

I'd like to see "Under The Hammer Of Destruction" praised as a classic - or cult, who cares? - Metal album some time in the future (dream on...); if you devour albums like "Black Metal", "Rotting", "Seven Churches", "Monolith", "Mental Funeral", "In The sign Of Evil", "Power From Hell", the MASTER/ABOMINATION 1990 Split 7" single and "Morbid Tales"twice a week or love to spend money on 'newer names' like ASSAULTER, DESTROYER 666, NIFELHEIM and MERCILESS DEATH, then here's another rotten meal. The same goes if names like NIHILIST, REPUGNANT and OBSCURITY create nostalgic moments from the past. Chock!

P.S.: Songs 7-11 originally appeared in a 2008 hand-numbered demo cassette. The last song is a cover version with the original belonging to Swedish Crust/Punk legends BOMBANFALL.