Reviewed by Ian Webber

Following on from two singles released last year, this Canadian artist unleashes his first EP on Bearded Dragon Productions. Consisting of five short tracks this aural assault is difficult to nail into a single genre. I can hear elements of hardcore and death metal along with an edge of grindcore thrown in. The brainchild of the interestingly named Goat Desecrator, Lucifer Impaled is an abrasive, confrontational attack against the Devil and his demons as the project's name would suggest. Opening with an instrumental of gunfire that builds a picture of a battle scene, we are soon introduced to the wall of dirty guitar noise and guttural vocals of "Legions Of The Cross". This track grinds and rumbles with a few breaks for some slightly melodic riffing. "Winds Of Lust" is a little more typical of the other tracks on the album with its speed-driven, choppy delivery and vocals that are spat with rapid fire venom. My favourite on this short offering is the title track which opens full of hardcore, circle pit energy. As the track develops it slows to an intense midsection before finishing once again at breakneck speed. Lucifer Impaled will not be to everyone's taste, but for fans of black metal who enjoy their music with a darker edge, these cuts do have something about them that gets under your skin. Although not an immediate classic, a couple of listens reveal some merit to this challenging collection.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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