Though the European Black Metal scene has always been the best, the American underground Black Metal scene has always presented more serious acts and real cult groups, and when I decide to review a Black Metal band from the United States, I expect a real raw sound and a firm quality. The debut album "The Good, the Bad and the Damned" for the Black Metal band ZUD is one of those albums that will peel out your eyes from the first riff, so prepare you're self for this total insanity.

The band has been formed in 2009 and released only one EP in 2011 before this debut album, so 2013 is a very special year for these four guys. The natural compressed guitar riffs and the warmth of the European Black Metal influences inside this album are the main musical themes, so the fabric of the musical structure will not be something strange or unusual. Some spectacular tracks like "Skull Shaped Bell" and "The Junction" were the first tracks to catch my attention, and it was really obvious that the band is having a very wide range of influences behind the story of the riffs. The artwork reminded me of the 90s Black Metal era, a classic design with unholy colors to describe the music in a profound way.

The combination of the tremolo touches and the rock spirit and the roaring harsh vocals are making every single track in this record memorable, so there are a lot of reason why would I recommend this track for the fans of extreme Metal music, one of these reasons is the professionalism of combining many musical visions and collide them into a warm mixture, and form a tasty sound. The ultimate performance of the members in front of the vital drumming is also one of the reasons that will make you fall behind the veil of riffs in this record. The five tracks are lengthy, and somehow they were enough to reflect the visions of the band, but I wished that the album has more than forty minutes.

America must be proud, this Rockish / aggressive Black Metal sound will not be understandable by the simple fans, it's something distinctive and the sound that the band tried to create in this record is characteristic. Let yourself fall behind the darkness and the insanity of these four guys and enjoy every single riff here.