Since the Finnish Black Metal school appeared in parallel with Swedish and Norwegian schools, it wasn't as famous and notorious as these ones. Names as BEHERIT, IMPALED NAZARENE, THY SERPENT, GLOOMY GRIM and many others popularized the style, and since them, Finnish Black Metal bands started an invasion, and conquered many fans. One name that isn't famous as the previous, but notorious and infamous on the Black Metal scene from Sweden is from the sextet BARATHRUM. Yes, they released many good albums, and now, they are back with "Fanatiko", their new album, after 12 years since "Anno Aspera: 2003 Years After Bastard's Birth".

BARATHRUM is an Old School Black Metal band, in the same vein of those from the first times of the style on the Northern countries of Europe. Then, you can't ask of them some modern elements or experimentalisms. No, the sextet is aggressive, brutal and extremely insane, with the main difference being the use of a second bass guitar, what make their songs even more distorted and impacting. But hold your horses, readers: their songs are excellent, and with a great and strong personality pulsing under these nasty musical arrangements. "Fanatiko" is another great chapter on their history. John Oscar Dee produced the album, and worked on the recording and on the mixing as well, and Frater "King Satan" Zetekh      made some additional mixing and the mastering. The sound quality is bitter and raw, as any Black Metal in their vein must be, but obviously, they keep a good level of clearness, to able the listener to understand what their musical work stands for. The artwork for the cover is a statement: the sextet is fanatic for Black Metal and the stand and resist for it with all their strength!

On "Fanatiko", there are many guests on additional vocals: Spellgoth, Zetekh, John Oscar Dee, Hoath Cambion, and Naaras.  And Kate Boss plays the ritual bowls on "On the Dark River Bank". Their eight songs are excellent, and as their finest moments, we can name the brutal and aggressive "Hellspawn" with its nasty Hardcore influence, showing very good vocals and bass guitar parts, and these elements can be found on "Pope Corpse Tattoo", that bears very good guitar riffs; the filthy and slow tempos of "On the Dark River Bank", an intense and morbid song with very good solos and drums in the first half, and on the second, it's fast and brutal; the harsh Hardcore/Punk Rock influences that can be heard on "Arx Satanas"; the savage insight of the vocals on the crushing bones song called "Church Amok"; and the funeral storm of aggressive and filthy riffs of the climatic "Fanatiko". But the entire album is excellent!

"Fanatiko" is another great work from BARATHRUM, and hope that these Finnish Black Metal fanatics won't let us wait for 12 more years until their nent album!