The Extreme Metal scene in the UK has been growing in strength over the last few years, and is perhaps at its most fertile since the early/mid 90's. Out of the North of England in particular, some really great bands are starting to emerge; BLUDVERA, BAST, DISMAL and many others are taking the underground by storm and tearing up venues across the North West. Out of the unassuming depths of Salford comes perhaps the most amazing band in this local scene, and they have begun to enter the periphery of the Metal community, not just locally, but nationally; a band that holds bands like HELLHAMMER in the highest regard; a band that combines the darkest and dirtiest Black Metal with razor sharp, gruesome Thrash. If you go to extreme Metal gigs in Manchester and Liverpool, there is a good chance that you have witnessed them first hand. I first saw them at the Star and Garter, opening for BONDED BY BLOOD, SEPREVATION and FLAYED DISCIPLE. Their short but fierce set elicited a crazy response from the crowd, and they were by far the best band of the night. This band, EXXXEKUTIONER, are one of Manchester's most popular Extreme Metal bands, and with their debut release with Ulthar Records, "Fear the Priest", they look set to take the UK by storm in the near future.

Opener "March to Death" is an awesome slab of Blackened Thrash. These guys do it the way it's meant to be made; there's not too much of either the Thrash or Black Metal elements to cancel out the other. "B.I.B" is fast and fierce, teetering on the edge of out of control. The next track, "Divine Siren" is basically a Punk tune with some Black Metal elements. Then it's onto the self titled song, "Fear the Priest". Along with "March to Death", this is the joint best song on the whole EP. The Guitars, Bass, Drums and Vocals just fall into place so well and complement each other perfectly. "Maniac Asylum" is just straight up Blackened Thrash at its best. The final and shortest song, "Black Witchery", closes this album in a blaze of fuzz and riffs. One of the things that really makes this album is that it has this low-fi, grainy sound quality to it, which adds to its appeal and makes it sound like proper old school Blackened Thrash. This would still have been a great EP if this wasn't the case, but it would be strange listening to this kind of music with a really polished sound.

This EP is no doubt going to be in high demand. So grab your copy while you've still got the chance to do so. And if you get a chance to see them live, go check them out. Their live shows are amazing, and I'm pretty sure it won't be long before their playing in larger venues across the UK, and not just in the North. This record is highly recommended, especially for HELLHAMMER and BLACK WITCHERY fans.