#ArsonistsOfLucifer Total Destruction/Depths of Evil

Band: Arsonists of Lucifer
Title: Total Destruction/Depths of Evil
Label: War Productions
Release date:  23 October 2023
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording 

This is the CD format of the compilation by Arsonists of Lucifer that includes their two EPs released in 2018 and 2019. This unholy duo hailing from Sweden, consists of Hedningen (Michael Lang) playing guitars and bass, and Slaktaren, also named Nihilisten (Liam Micuda) doing vocals and playing drums. They both are also together in Grimtone, another very good Black Metal band from Sweden. So, let’s see what’s this about… 

The first 6 tracks are the EP “Total Destruction” in its entirety. A sick, destructive, raw, furious, and freezing cold mayhem of crude riffs, ripped screams, and fast & brutal-sounding drums. Except for tracks 1 and 6, which are an intro and an outro for such sonic slaughtering, that’s what you can expect in the remaining four songs. 

“Manhunt” starts mercilessly, right from the start, it’s pure madness. Yes, you are thrown without warning into a chaotic frenzy, vocals screaming as if there was a maniac there, drums consistently pulverized, guitars playing cold riffs, yeah, no time for thinking twice! The raw sound does justice to the band’s name. Guys are on fire, and this is only the beginning.

“Total Destruction”, yeah, the perfect title… The scream at the beginning makes my ears tremble, still they are. I really enjoy the different drum patterns along this track, and the changes in the pace, mostly fast and furious but with some kind of “different furies” if this makes sense. Sometimes I don’t know how to explain things properly, argh. Well, you can listen and maybe you’ll get what I’m trying to say.

“The Unholy Crusade” is “a bit calmer”, at least in the beginning. But when Nihilisten starts with his sick screams, damn!, here comes chaos again. I really like the raw production, guitars seem to set fire everywhere despite the icy tone. 

“Genocide” is the following track, more than 7 minutes of frosty and tormenting Black Metal. Some of the most insane screams are in this one, riffs are a bit repetitive but it’s very good. I like this kind of stuff…

And after “The Termination of the Void”, it comes the second part of this compilation. An almost 30 minutes long track, “Depths of Evil”, consisting of… well… pure and evilish tortured screams, chaos, anguish and desperation. All seasoned with some low tuned guitars and raw sounding percussion, changing of pace and intensity all through the “song”. I must confess I was waiting for “something more to happen”, but after a few minutes it was obvious that nothing more was coming. For sure, people who were recording this track had fun as hell! This is pure armageddon, and truth is I’m not really fond of this kind of stuff, for me 3 or 4 minutes of this would have been enough. But hey, respect to the musicians.

Well, I enjoyed the first part of this compilation a lot. My average punctuation is 7,5/10  Sílvia

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