I live in the Netherlands, the country right above Belgium, the home of PATRIARCH. I remember when I booked this band for our youth centre in the early nineties, and they actually brought along a full bus of supporters to come and spend their Belgian Francs (these are the days before the euro, and we Dutch had Guilders) in our small venue. They drank enough of our beer and liquor that I was able to pay the band in their national currency. Their manager Geert Baelus was just as chuffed at the response on the night as I was. Why do I write this? Because the first thought on receiving “Demonic Heart” was of that night and my questioning whether Geert is still connected to PATRIARCH.

PATRIARCH hail from Herenthout, Antwerp in Belgium, and have been around since 1983, although they were going by the name of PARIAH. That changed in 1988, and they have been making their own brand of Power/Thrash Metal since then. And even there are a whole boat load of bands to compare them with, PATRIARCH does have that kind of Belgian sound, just like their countrymen CYCLONE do. It’s instantly recognisable. After a hiatus of seven years they are back with their fifth album “Demonic Heart”, and the first question to ask is whether time is taking its toll on the band and its members.

The answer to that is an undoubtable NO, as the fury, aggression, anger and determination are really at the forefront of the sound. “Demonic Heart” does not sound like an album that is made by a bunch of happy-go-lucky campers. No, this sounds like PATRIARCH is shouting at us from the depths of Hell, only with a sound that is fitting with their mindset. It has a bit of a Hardcore vibe to it, adding to the aggressive atmosphere that the album is throwing at us.

What does help a lot is that all the songs might have the same sound and vibe, they are definitely very distinguishable form each other. And they have substance and a touch of quality, making “Demonic Heart”  a supreme PATRIARCH record. My advice to all the lovers of Thrash Metal mixed with Power Metal, step outside the Bay Area and Teutonic regions, and enter the Lowlands. You will find a lot of gems there, and this PATRIARCH album “Demonic Heart” is just one of those.