Band: Perpetratör Title: Altered Beast Genre: Thrash Metal Year: 14th February 2018 Time: 38 min Rating: 85/100
In these last times, the thrash metal is literally reigning on these pages. So, the thrash metal series continues also today with this review about "Altered Beast", second album by Perpetratör from Portugal, a country which, in my opinion, has got one of the better black metal scenes in the world but I didn't know that it's also good to produce talented thrash metal bands. Specifically, Perpetratör is a relatively young band born in 2008 with a discography composed of two full-lenght albums and a split with the legendary Hellbastard but I said "relatively" because, into their line-up, there are musicians coming from very respected Portuguese bands like Filii Nigrantium Infernalium and Ravensire, all rooted into the '80s metal. Obviously, also Perpetrator are a cult to the '80s even because, curiously, they titled their second album just as a famous arcade videogame released by Sega in 1988. Maybe, it's only a coincidence...or not?
Released by the Portuguese label Caverna Abismal Records, "Altered Beast" is basically a furious thrash metal onslaught influenced a fuckin' lot by the Teutonic masters like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. You can hear all these influences from the caustic vocals of the bassplayer Rick to the intense drum attacks of the session drummer Ângelo Sexo, who's able to reach also very demented speeds like in the amazing "Jungle War" until playing some blast-beats during "A Fleeting Passage Through Hell". Thanks to these premises, I imagine that the cultists of the pure frontal aggression will enjoy so much this "Altered Beast"!
But beware because "Altered Beast" show not only an high level of violence but also a good variety and interesting features. For example, there is a brilliant interaction between the guitars in order to frequently plays layered riffs, and without forgetting that Marouco spew forth a lot of guitar solos, showing sometimes a memorable melodic taste like in "The Doors of Perception" or into the anthemic "Hellthrasher", where, STRANGE BUT TRUE!, there is even a very slow passage full of melodies. And about melodies, you'll find also an acoustic track called "Fires of Sacrifice", very useful to take a breath. Instead, songs such as "Lethal Manhunt" show a little complexity (especially about the drums) while, if "Jungle War" is maybe the most violent song of the album also thanks to its sulphurous black metal influences and war scenes' sample, "The Doors of Perception" is more focused on the mid-tempos. So, "Altered Beast" is surely more than that I expected after listening its first two songs.
But that's not all, folks! In fact, the album ends with an awesome song named "Black Sacristy". It represents a variation to the classic Perpetratör style because it show a breathtaking and dark power/speed metal manic attack comprised of the Bruce Dickinson's guest vocals of Flávio Lino from the heavy metal band Deadlyforce (he is present also in "The Doors of Perception" and "Let the Sleeping Dogs Lie"). But why is this song so different from the "classic Perpetrator's style"? Simple: I discovered that "Black Sacristy" is nothing else than a song taken from the only demo (released in 1988) of Pontius Prophet, one of the innumerable short-lived bands founded by John Cyriis of Agent Steel's fame! What a fantastic way to end this album with the purest violence!
To sum it up, this "Altered Beast", which combines a raw brutality with a nice variety and technical skills, is very fit for the thrasher maniacs who loves the aforementioned Teutonic monsters and younger bands with a little blackened vibe like Deathhammer and Inculter (both from Norway), as well. All this is sublimated during the literally skullcrushing second part of the album, where there are numbers such as "Terminal Possession" (the intro of this song was obtained from a recording of Rick's voice by Nuno Mordred from Ravensire) , "Jungle War", "Hellthrasher" and, obviously, "Black Sacristy", all songs very difficult to forget! So, I don't know if "Altered Beast" is a title taken directly from the videogame with the same name but, surely, it's a storming thrash metal attack like few others!
Tracklist:
1 - Altar of the Skull
2 - Extreme Barbarity
3 - The Doors of Perception
4 - Fires of Sacrifice
5 - Lethal Manhunt (intro by Zé Rockhard from the speed/thrash metal band Inquisitor)
6 - A Fleeting Passage Through Hell
7 - Terminal Possession
8 - Jungle War
9 - Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
10 - Hellthrasher
11 - Black Sacristy
Line-up:
Rick - vocals/bass
Flávio Lino (guest) - vocals (3, 9, 11)
Marouco - lead guitars (screams on "Lethal Manhunt")
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