RAMI OMAR (7/10)

Death Metal is one of the greatest genre ever, at least for yours truly. However, too bad that there has been a fair share of low quality bands virtually subduing this type of music, taking it downward spiral. SWAZAFIX, back in their day, were doing it right, overtly modernizing their efforts, yet without leaving the fair old measure behind.

I believe that SAWAZFIX should be proud of this compilation, a reminder of their short lived past and since the brutality surrounding it. "Anthem Of Apostasy" proved that the SWAZAFIX had chemistry between them, and that they have a true talent like Valy's great solos. Theo Loomans's vocals are way too brutal, but enjoyable. Too bad he died later on in the late 90s (R.I.P.). Andrew is skilled drummer; you have to admire his efforts, perfectly overpowering the skins. Overall the music is great, SAWAZFIX can be more commanding and brutal by just changing the riffs and growling into a power drive.

"Anthem of Apostasy" have some good tracks, one of them is album's title, a great song, got to love the solo, drums and riffs. Most of the songs have the same typical Death Metal inflammations of the early 90s riffs, probably not a bad thing but its repetitive so you'll get bored somewhere in between.

SAWAZFIX seemed to spilt up after the death of Theo Loomans, I wonder if there might be chance to catch the band's old players on other bands. If not, at least the memory of SAWAZFIX lives on through Vic Records.

VLADIMIR LEONOV (8/10)

It's another band mostly unheard of -due to a twenty-year hiatus- yet makes you wonder why some bands with a less artistic potential than SWAZAFIX enjoy the best of the two worlds. Despite the Thrash component, it ticks into your mind that you've heard a similar stuff before... way, way long ago, perhaps in a DEATH album considering the very raw quality of the recording (old school DEATH-like) as well as the similarity of the vocals to those performed by Chuck Schuldiner in his early days, along with the sudden tempo shifts and the quite same range of scales used by DEATH in some of their late tracks. Inlayed from time to time by backing monstrous roars, the vocal pitch proved an amazing ability to effortlessly transit from high to low as in "Plaintive Parallels" needless to mention the epic agony piercing screech in "Burdened Sufferance".

What catches your attention most is the unexpectedness of the swift sudden shifts either in tempo, scale or even time signature, something compelling you to stick around and follow the process till it's very end, best depicted in "Burdened Sufferance" which comes as a following part to its precedent "Insaniac" to play some transitional guitar chords or drum tom rolls shifting the time signature in a similar way to a progressive metal track, with a following tempo switch that thoroughly reverses the energy vibe until the guitar solo at a lower tempo playing notes belonging to different scales in just a handful of bars, entitling this very track to be the crumb topping of the entire pie owing to its richness in only four minutes as well as its unpredictability and various twists leading you into a cherishable journey within.

As for the instrumental side, the guitar solos -multiple and sometimes even played during the intro of the tracks- are undoubtedly the pillar of the album riffs. Often short and silly but most of the times consistent and overwhelming the remaining sounds, their tapping was some kind of regular in contrast with a mad tremolo bar totally out of control, along with an aggressive chord rhythm, some vibrato or tremolo guitar riffs in a mix of arpeggio and chords in the allure of a solo, or often a succession of arpeggio notes and guitar chords specially in the verses yet somehow reminding me of "Symbolic" bridge when it comes to "Anthem Of Apostasy" and emphasizing the old school death influence cited above. Unfortunately the guitar sound is overwhelmed by the drum crashes something which downfalls the performance. Such a strange inner feeling about the late track's bass that created another dimension in the guitar solo with just simple fundamentals! In fact, this is one of the rare thrash albums in which the bass is clearly individualized; with some shreds come from here and there relishing the whole high technical ability. The whole stuff was sustained by a decent thrashy double bass drumming majorly accentuated by intensive rides, bell rides and even open hi-hats or splashes. Ear candy to say the least!

Here is a myriad of diverse energies in succession, united by a respectable set of instruments and a high technical sense something which the