Purification by Debauchery

It is maybe the latest attitude of Darkthrone which has influenced bands like Rotten Liver from France, maybe it is the general attitude of the fans to return to the traditional Heavy Metal and Thrash Metal sound of the ’80ies. Whatever it is, personally I respect a band which creates an EP as interesting as “Purification by Debauchery”. Surely, you understood that here the band has combined all of its influences of Heavy and Thrash Metal sound from the late ’80ies – early ’90ies with the traditional, old-fashioned Black Metal sound of Scandinavia and it has created a very interesting album.

This EP contains four tracks of overall duration of twenty five minutes. The riffs are divided to the rhythmic Heavy Metal, to the faster Thrashy, while the listener will also come across to many Scandinavian style Black Metal riffs, atmospheric – dark passages and beautiful guitar solos. The sound causes and drags you to a continuous head banging. The tracks are structured as the old and good Metal, divided into divisions, bridges and refrains, with a lot of changes in the melodies and generally the band has done so good work that it maintains the listener’s attention throughout the entire album.

Another part, for which this album also shines out, is the performance of the instruments. The first thing that the listener will notice is the awesome guitars which deliver with power and passion the Heavy/Thrash riffs but they don’t lack of the darkness and the hate that it is demanded by the Black Metal riffs. They have a lot of energy, accuracy and quite good technic. The bass fills the sound perfectly, but without playing the first role anywhere in the compositions. The lines of the drums are also very interesting both in the fast parts both in the rhythmic, they give the power and the solidness, depending on the part, that the compositions need. The production is clean, a little bass and quite massive, exactly as it should be. The mixture preserves the balance between the instruments delivering a very solid sound.

By listening to “Purification by Debauchery”, the first release of Rotten Liver, a smile of satisfaction was formed on my lips and stayed there even after the album’s end. It has been quite a while since I listened to such Black Metal and so well played. I am confident that if they continue to work the same way that they worked in their first release we have to expect great things by them. I think that every true metalhead will appreciate and break his neck with this album. Buy it.