BARBARIAN “Cult of the Empty Grave” review (by Bart Tomaszewski (SEPULCROS PROD))

BARBARIAN “Cult of the Empty Grave”
Hells Headbangers records

Let’s move to country with very long history. There was times when it ruled over the whole basin of Mediterranean Sea and big part of Europe. They dominated (also in cultural meaning their influences outreached borders of the empire and even time) few hundred years. City from which BARBARIAN comes has even a little longer history than this empire. In our times it can connote with very good football club where such a players as Dunga, Gabriel Batistuta or Luca Toni played.  So Florence has something to offer for everybody. It takes also Metalheads!

Band is rather young one (found in 2009), but it doesn’t mean that there play some greenhorns. Anyway, we met here for music, so let’s start to talk about it! Band describes their music as Speed/Thrash/Black Metal. And I can basically agree with that. Basically coz I can hear here influences of other kinds of music – especially if it takes solos and way of playing drums (and this is genre which has not so much to do with METAL, but historically has). Besides you must be ready for Black Metal in old Greek style here. But one after the other! The most experienced musician here is guitarist and vocalist Borys Crossburn who plays METAL since more than 20 years (KADATH for example). Riffs are melodious, but brutal in the same time – it isn’t as easy as you can think to find right proportions between those two it would seem contradictions. His vocal is as for me something what connect this music with old school Death Metal. The same manner of singing have/had Martin van Drunen, Kam Lee, Andy Kaina, Alex Okendo or if these names say nothing to you, what for me would be at least strange – Chuck Schuldiner. Drums work at least sometimes in quite huge fascination of old school Punk Rock. I can’t see anything strange in that coz Lore plays in bands strongly connected with this kind of music.  In general he’s very busy guy coz except BARBARIAN he plays in four another bands. From the other side it makes him more complete musician coz every band plays in different way (all are connected with METAL, but…). Also bass player make his work very well.

In general a lot happens in this music. Maybe there’s no some often and radical changes of tempo (guys play most of the time in middle ones – sometimes a little faster, sometimes lower), but… For sure anybody will be bored even an half second during listening of these seven works! By the way, their logo reminds me logo of some legendary, at least for me and all in my age in Italy or Poland, band called BULLDOZER. Anyway, I can also hear some musical parallels – even if they’re not so as clear as day and explicit. Well, I think that I could write even more about this music, but… The best will be if you’ll just listen to it!!!

(c) Bart Tomaszewski (SEPULCROS PROD)