It's fair to say that over the years, the UK has produced some incredible talent in the rock and metal genre. Some of these span back as far as the 1950's-1960's if not a bit before. All of the parts that make up the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales) have given us some great talent such as QUEEN, LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE to name a few. Now, after a 13 year break, Irish Death Metal band OGRE are back with their new album "Bastards Of Death" and upon first impressions, judging by the band members names and the song titles, this one falls more into the Brutal Death Metal category.

Originally formed in Dublin in 1990, OGRE released two demo tapes from 1992-1993 followed by their first full-length album called "Dark Filth" in 1994. From the years 2000 to 2013, they did not split up but rather take a break from music and in 2013 they reformed to write a new album which was released this year in 2014 called "Bastards Of Death" and the big question is, is this OGRE like the character Shrek with an ugly appearance on the outside and kind on the inside or is this an OGRE that is ugly on the outside and ugly on the inside? That's what this review will hopefully answer.

With a total of 19 tracks equalling a total playtime of 60 or 20 minutes, there are a total of 8 instrumentals and 11 vocal tracks. The instrumentals are a collection of sound effects and voice clips with music playing in the background and the vocal tracks are brutal fast paced Metal tracks with possibly the most insane shredding I have ever heard in my life including the guitars, bass and drums all of which kick you in the balls with no mercy whatsoever.

You think that would be a good thing as that is what Metal music is meant to do right? That may be the case with some bands but it's not the case with OGRE I'm afraid. For one thing, the speed may be a good thing to some but most times it's too fast and too lost in the mix for you to even hear the music. The vocals are a let down too as you cannot understand what is being said unless you refer to the album booklet which has the lyrics in it but even when you read them, you'll instantly be put off as they are very violent lyrics and the images in the background of the booklet would appeal to those who can look at a gory and violent image without feeling sick.

You know, it's hard to find any redeeming qualities in this album but I will give OGRE points for the brutal insanity of their playing but everything else is a total letdown. Before I do finish this review, it's time to go back to the question I asked earlier and the answer is, this is an OGRE which is ugly on the outside and ugly on the inside as this is the type of music that does not appeal to someone like me. That said however, if Brutal Death Metal is your thing then you will like it.