HEXENALTAR – Bestial Damnation

Godz ov War Productions rarely fail to impress or amaze me when it comes to unearthing and releasing some of the most menacing and aggressive gems that the metal underground has to offer, and the Polish outfit named Hexenaltar fits rather neatly into the label’s quality roster. Rooted in 80s black metal, raw thrash metal, and arguably also death metal such as Possessed around the time of Beyond the Gates, this short 4-track EP of theirs is pretty fierce and violent stuff. You get several lethal and infectious riffs, some delightfully evil vocals, and good song arrangements overall, and Bestial Damnation is a robust piece of work that is easy to absorb and catchy as hell. It might not be inventive but it certainly is efficient with respect to evoking a morbidly enjoyable aura, and everyone chimes in with a solid performance. On top of its dark and heavy production, which is utterly appealing to these ears, I really dig the fact that it comes across as maniacal and intense without sounding completely unhinged or devoid of structure and purpose. The CD version contains six live tracks as a bonus, but these are only mildly entertaining compared to the material that constitutes the EP as they are a little short on atmosphere and power. In short, you only need the four killer tunes that constitute Bestial Damnation.