"Icons of evil" CD by Vital Remains

by Björn Thorsten Jaschinski (29.03.2007) Dramatically, the sixth album is a twin of its predecessor: the radio play sequence of the Crucifixion increases to an Orff-like culmination, afterwards, the infernal title track comes over us. Nine songs, all coming along in a wall of sound clock in at over one hour of playing time. After "Dechristianize" had to be promoted live with a different singer most of the time, Glen Benton (Deicide) returned to the microphone - and he devilish slavers and bleats like mad, I didn't even know him this aggressive from his main band! Because Dave Suzuki cannot decide if he wants to break Blast-world records of interpret the most beautiful and biggest harmonies in the Death Metal universe he simply does both. The differences to the classic, "Dechristianize"? The songs are even more haunting, the artwork even more blasphemous: the scene is taken from the original title track, "Hammer down the nails". Considering this original American Death Metal power even the heaviest Black Metal combos are well-behaved Sunday pupils. Amen.