I suppose someone must have told these troublemakers from Singapore to just get into the studio and not make music—but instead, to destroy, crush, and dominate. Hailing from Singapore, one of Asia’s oldest and most legendary extreme metal bands alongside Japan’s Sabbat, Impiety returns with their sixth unrestricted full-length studio album—a blasphemic metal assault that builds massively on their previous work. Released as a 750-copy LP, the album delivers a barbaric, relentless, seemingly endless onslaught of old-school thrash mixed with hyper-speed brutal black/death metal. It is worth noting that no bass guitar was used in the recordings; instead, the album is filled with a barrage of insane solos that more than make up for it. On guitar is Rangel Arroyo, from the Brazilian death metal band Abhorrence, while the album’s 10 tracks—including an intro and outro—feature a surprise touch: both the intro and outro were composed by Nuclear Holocausto from Beherit.
Tracklist
01. Intro 00:57
02. Vientos De Holocausto 02:04
03. Atomic Angel Assault 05:07
04. Terroreign 05:23
05. As Judea Burns 04:38
06. Goatfather 04:14
07. Bestial To The Bone 05:07
08. The Black Fuck 03:53
09. My Dark Subconscious 03:42
10. Outro 00:47
Alongside Rangel Arroyo, the band’s core members on guitar and vocals, Shyaithan, and drummer Tremor—who is recording his second full album with Impiety—deliver a skull-crushing record polished under a much better production than ever before. With almost two decades behind them and still no disappointment to their audience, the band has made a huge leap in their career with this release. I would argue this album is among the most explosive extreme releases of the 2000s. Although not particularly catchy, the album’s riffs—raw and crafted from waves of hellfire—wild solos, and relentless grind blasts make up three key elements of this hypertensive frenzy. The sudden, disquietingly aesthetic solos that appear throughout the tracks send you into spasms of pure combustion. Complementing this, the thrash/black vocals—complex and witchbrew-like—work brilliantly alongside the drums, delivering a hailstorm of bullets that welcomes you to this infernal celebration.
Previously, Impiety covered bands like Sarcofago, Vulcano, Darkness, Sextrash, Sepultura, and Blasphemy. This time, they pay tribute to Morbid’s vocalist Dead with their rendition of “My Dark Subconscious.” Impiety is a band that proudly crafts technical yet raw thrash riffs, a foundation present throughout almost all their albums and again very prominent here. They write Blasphemy-style songs at times, blend classic American-style death metal with ’80s South American thrash/black riffs, and occasionally even incorporate punk rhythms—showcasing a broad and well-integrated spectrum of influences.
The one-minute intro composed by Nuclear Holocausto opens with ominous, terrifying church bell tolls and roaring demonic vocals. Then, abruptly, the album kicks off with “Vientos De Holocausto,” a mere two-minute track that sounds less like music and more like a gunfire-drenched assault squad moving through a battlefield. Machine gun blast beats, blazing solos, and sudden rhythm changes that will rip your brain from its place make for the craziest, most chaotic opening possible. The section where the guitar cuts out proves these guys are terrifying even without it, thanks to the deadly combination of blast beats and vocals. The piece ends with assaulting solos that feel like a tank has run you over. Listening to this track alone, you can’t help but wonder what the rest of the album holds.
“Atomic Angel Assault” is a charge wrapped in double bass drum fury and dynamic, headlong riffs. After sudden stop-start parts, the song gallops at full speed, then slows slightly to deliver a series of nimble solos before closing again at high tempo. The title track, “Terroreign,” begins with tantalizing solos and punches you in the face with fast, venomous dirty thrash riffs and death metal drumming. The track embodies the classic Impiety fury with crazy riffs, unfiltered vocals, and blast beats that sound like a machine gun firing relentlessly. This is probably what living in hell sounds like.
“As Judea Burns” opens with blasts alone, gradually adding guitars and church bells before shifting into headbanging blast beats, sudden stop-starts, and seamlessly flowing death metal riffs. Before the tempo slows midway, we hear one of the album’s finest riffs. The black/thrash vocals on every track become more ruthless, furious, and borderline insane. “Goatfather” opens with an evil, ominous intro like the album’s start, featuring hammer-like drum hits and blast beats that alternate with mesmerizing, relentless solos. In the steadier tempo sections, a few more high-quality riffs emerge. The final track before the outro, the Morbid cover “My Dark Subconscious,” features slowed-down vocals for the first time and blackened thrash riffs played with a well-balanced feel that the band never ruins.
Singapore’s three satanic servants Impiety return with a hellish devastation that breaks all sacred rules. You can consider this album one of the most significant extreme releases of the past decade. Each of their albums delivers a unique ultra-blasphemous metal terror, and with this release, it’s clear they have reached a monumental milestone in their career.