Greece has given the world a hell of a lot, it's a land of rich history, mythology, the birthplace of democracy and European culture. But besides those things, Greece has provided the world with some fine examples of extreme Metal, which is exactly why I was excited when handed the task of reviewing Greece's latest Metal export HERETIC CULT REDEEMER.

From the very first notes it can be said that the band certainly live up to their roots, the dark and fast Black Metal riffs overtake you right away as "Crawling Hope" begins to play, there's no real intro, the band get right to business with their assault. "Bleeding of the Giant Sun" opens slower, almost Death Metal in its approach, which changes later as the riffs grow faster with a barrage of brutal Black Metal. "The Oldest of Times" starts more melodically, with a simple yet catchy riff, many pace changes follow in this 9 and a half minute opus, but there lies the problem.

The longer tracks at times seem overly prolonged and could have some of the fat trimmed off to make them a bit leaner and more cohesive. That being said, the album does flow really well, it's very obvious that a lot of thought was put into the pacing of the record. I must admit that my favorite song on the record is the closing track "7", featuring a slowly built up intro which flows perfectly into the at first slow and melodic and later brutal Black Metal.

This is a good debut album, and certainly gives you a taste of what this band is capable of, hopefully we will see a trimmer album the next time around.