I can't say that I think of Brazil when I think about extreme Black Metal. But I will now. I mean, we all know Brazil doesn't fuck around when it comes to Metal, but it's usually Death or Thrash, but hell if they don't deliver the goods on Black Metal as well. And when I say "they," I mean GRAVE DESECRATOR. On May 23, 2023, they released "Immundissime Spiritus" through From Deepest Records (US, Europe, and Asia) and several other distributors for the rest of the world.

Okay, technically GRAVE DESECRATOR is Death/Black but they sound more Black than Death, so I'm sticking to my guns and knives and blasphemed sacrificial daggers. "Immundissime Spiritus" (trans: a most impure spirit) comprises 10 tracks, including a couple of sub-two-minute tracks and one cover. It clocks out at just over 40 minutes. The shorts, btw, aren't acoustic interludes. They hit just as hard, or harder than the longer tracks. And the cover isn't some 70's throwback, it's "Fuck the Dead" by none other than GG Allin. Yeah, so adjacently synonymous with the band's name, which is completely hilarious.

Okay, to be clear. The license to play this record requires deep appreciation of Extreme Metal. If you got that, and it isn't expired, "Immundissime Spiritus" is for you. And as a rare treat in the Black Metal scene, this is a surprisingly well-produced album. The distortion doesn't overflow to grayscale, and there is good separation throughout. The bass is nice and fat and really comes through. The drums often redline on db, but the highs are still crisp. The vocals, of course, are gritty as a shallow, dry grave.

Standout tracks abound, but I'll go with the opener, "Necromantical Hex." Perfect evil salvo for this dark volume of unspeakable acts. "Finis Hominis" (trans: the end of man) is a classic shredder. So many unholy breakdowns. Utterly devastating, this one. "Missa Pro Defuntis" (trans: mass for the dead) is a bizarre, trippy number. Heavily atmospheric but still very heavy. "Occult Bewitchment" is another inhumane despoiler of innocence. "Fuck the Dead" is also fantastic. Don't think GG ever sounded this good, though that might have been his whole point.

GRAVE DESECRATOR has been around in one incarnation or another since 1998. "Immundissime Spiritus" is their fourth full-length studio album not counting EPs, splits, and at least one live album. Which is to say, they aren't new to this. And it shows. Their veteran level musicianship renders a savage massacre. Great stuff.