"Reichenstein" is the debut full-length from an old school Death Metal band full of lifers known as INFIDEL REICH.  Tony Brookhuis on guitar played with ASPHYX as did drummer Bob Bagchus (also from the mighty SEIGE OF POWER with Chris Reifert) and singer Vincent Crowley spent time in INCANTATION and NOCTURNUS.  Obviously, with this much talent in one room, expectations are high and rightfully so.  Thankfully, INFIDEL REICH is a legitimate entity not a cash-grab formed by some label execs behind the scenes.

The first noticeable element to the album is the clear - crystalline, in fact, production; however, this is far from over-produced studio schemes.  The guitar tone is unique like the intersection of a classic Crossover sound and a crusty Carcass with its razor sharpness.  The leads swell full of mids with soaring glory and the riffs are murderously carved with a lethal rhythm sound.  Granted, there are multiple guitar tracks, but the band have created a sound to mirror their live sound as a true three-piece instrumentally.  The bass is enormous providing the crucial duty of rattling away beneath the guitar.  It performs exceedingly well in its duty remaining clear throughout the album.  Coupled with Bob's drumming, the rhythm section is what truly sets the band apart instrumentally.  Years of experience and simply tasteful playing are the keys to success here.

Without knocking the first two tracks, it is with the third track, "Killing Culture," though, that the album really starts blazing. The riffs mimic the sound of a cleaver violently, yet steadily, rhythmically chopping away at a near-frozen monster size slab of raw meat.  That analogy came from the vision I had from Rocky where he is training by repeatedly boxing with huge sides of meat suspended in air except instead of punching, it is a metallic, chopping sound.

After the more traditional Death Metal fourth track, "Gunzilla's Stand," the band launch into "Standby for Revolution".  There is a strong groove throughout established by girth-filled Thrash style riffs and Bagchus's hard-hitting, tom work and syncopated double bass.  The following track is my personal favorite of the album, "Reich Fucking Roll".  Beginning with a furious bass line that invokes Steve Harris and Frank Bello equally, the guitars soon come in and the band launches into the song.  Mayhem ensues and the result is a song with ample peaks and valleys, one that travels through manic double bass passages, chunky palm-muting and bass playing that really drives the song.  The solo in the middle is a brief melodic highlight that momentarily turns back the clock to the heyday of NWOBHM.  From what I can tell listening to the lyrics without them printed, it seems to be a tribute to Lemmy as it talks about "not taking shit" and "chugging Jack Daniels".

Adding to the band's appeal is not only their custom blend of practically everything good in underground Metal (see the above annotated resumes) from the glory days of D.R.I. and CARNIVORE to the formative years of Death Metal and its ensuing conquest of the extreme, but they purposely took a name to push buttons.  In the spirit of Peter Steele's tongue-in-cheek lyrics and Billy Milano's as well (imagine if "Speak English or Die" came out today!), particularly, his oft-maligned, mistakenly so, way of exploring the most shocking subjects for shock value and humor, the band create the perfect climate for their subsequent backlash against political correctness.  It is practically impossible not to offend someone currently and never have people cried harder about potentially having their toes stepped on - evidence is from both the right and the left.  Society has become a farce and anything but social.  These turbulent times when bands are the subject of witch hunts by the reactionary masses and ANTIFA necessitate a band like INFIDEL REICH.  So, ANTIFA and SJWs would most definitely not be attending INFIDEL REICH shows.  Hopefully by shining a light onto the mockery and hypocrisy of it all, INFIDEL REICH will help others realize that in these times when people who are so desperately trying to fight discrimination and injustice often become the discriminators.  Simply, put, if it offends you, don't buy it.

The Metal world owes INFIDEL REICH a debt of gratitude.  We thank them for their brutality and synthesis of the most vital aspects of Death Metal and Hardcore/Crossover creating an album that is not just a new collection of songs but rather an exposition of a finely-cultured palette that leads the listener on a visceral journey jarring the senses.  We thank them for confronting the hypocritical, PC-obsessed and media-addled fringe elements out there whose efforts to thwart anything potentially offensive actually deprive people of their freedom of expression.  "Reichenstein" is an album that successfully blends the band's classic-tinged sound and irreverent attitude and is, in short, just what the world needs.