death metal
The malicious monster from Montpellier returns to the extreme metal scene with a suffocating piece of drone death metal. The band was formed in 2014, the same year Merchants Of Air came to life, and has been one of my favorite death metal bands ever since. From the very beginning I loved their chaotic, drone-infused death metal.
Now I'm more than happy to present their next epos, 'Hammer Of The Heretics', a five track album that will batter you into a bleeding pulp for a bit over half an hour and then leave you behind in a puddle of your own intestines.
I'm not sure if I already made the comparison but to me, Autokrator sounds like Dismember on steroids. Harsh, droning guitars, deep guttural growls and tormenting drums create an overwhelming sound. The overall sound is so intense, so heavy that even the band needs an interlude after the first two tracks. Those tracks are simply crushing, with the gigantic 'Le Sang Impur' even banging on the chaotic walls of the harsh noise scene.
You won't find a lot of variation on 'Hammer Of The Heretics' but in this timespan and with this all-consuming sound variation is a mere detail. What you will find is a heap of intensity, one that is suited only for seasoned death metal fans. I won't make my reggae of jazz fan friends listen to this stuff. They would survive but probably end up in a mental institution. That's the thing with death metal, it's musical insanity, and so is this album.
By the way, that interlude I was talking about earlier in this review, it's not a comfortable, easy-listening tune either, more like haunting dark ambient. It makes way for my favorite track on the album, the pulverizing title track, 'Hammer Of The Heretics'. Oh well, I guess it's clear, you have no right to call yourself a death metal fan if you haven't tried Autokrator. They're on their way to become a genre-defining entity and this album is an absolute must-have.
Serge
Now I'm more than happy to present their next epos, 'Hammer Of The Heretics', a five track album that will batter you into a bleeding pulp for a bit over half an hour and then leave you behind in a puddle of your own intestines.
I'm not sure if I already made the comparison but to me, Autokrator sounds like Dismember on steroids. Harsh, droning guitars, deep guttural growls and tormenting drums create an overwhelming sound. The overall sound is so intense, so heavy that even the band needs an interlude after the first two tracks. Those tracks are simply crushing, with the gigantic 'Le Sang Impur' even banging on the chaotic walls of the harsh noise scene.
You won't find a lot of variation on 'Hammer Of The Heretics' but in this timespan and with this all-consuming sound variation is a mere detail. What you will find is a heap of intensity, one that is suited only for seasoned death metal fans. I won't make my reggae of jazz fan friends listen to this stuff. They would survive but probably end up in a mental institution. That's the thing with death metal, it's musical insanity, and so is this album.
By the way, that interlude I was talking about earlier in this review, it's not a comfortable, easy-listening tune either, more like haunting dark ambient. It makes way for my favorite track on the album, the pulverizing title track, 'Hammer Of The Heretics'. Oh well, I guess it's clear, you have no right to call yourself a death metal fan if you haven't tried Autokrator. They're on their way to become a genre-defining entity and this album is an absolute must-have.
Serge
