Prezir - "As Rats Devour Lions" (Godz ov War Productions, 2018)

Band: Prezir
Title: As Rats Devour Lions
Genre: Black Metal with Thrash and Death Metal influences
Time: 40.27 min
Release Date: 18th August 2018 (Independent)
       17th September 2018 (Godz ov War Prod)
Rating: 89/100











Very interesting debut album for these Prezir (Serbian for "contempt"), a quintet from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, consisting of musicians that plays also in many other bands. Among them, you'll find as a drummer Brian Serzynski, already known on these pages thanks to his militancy in Pig's Blood, reviewed some time ago. And you have also to consider that "As Rats Devour Lions", the Prezir's debut album, has been released by a label of the calibre of Godz ov War Productions. So, there are all the premises for an album to remember for the extreme metal fukken maniacs!

In according to Metal-Archives, Prezir plays black metal. To say the truth, their music isn't exactly pure black metal, as you can already realize by reading their main influences, where black metal bands like Emperor, Enslaved and Dawn are cited along with death metal acts such as Morbid Angel and Deicide, and also with Destroyer 666, more thrashing and more epic than the other bands. So, "As Rats Devour Lions" shows 8 various tracks expressing a black metal contaminated with death metal and, especially, with thrash metal, in according to an approach that is strongly old-school. But their approach is even to be intended as martial, considered not only the aesthetics of the band and some lyrics but also their goals, in which, as explained on their biography, "bad ideas are best fought with good ideas and truths" and "derision of the false is essential to the preservation of philosophy".

In a more specific way, we're talking about a musical style characterized by very good technical skills, inventiveness with somehow experimental ideas, memorable riffs, and by the ability to create well structured and complex songs where (ultra)-violent fast and freezing black metal parts are important as the more melodic passages. In addition, there is need to say that, here, every instrument is fundamental, from the omnipresent lead guitar (that plays numerous layered riffs and even some solos in every song) to the bass, that's able to produce some interesting lines (like in "Ideologue Alchemy"). At this point, I think that the numbers that, for me, express better the Prezir's style are "Janičari" (the most thrashing track of the album), "Dar al-harb" (where there are the aforementioned "experimental ideas" such as some Arabic riffs) "Hamatsa Death Ritual" (that contains some very epic melodies) and the closing "Oedipus Context" (truly useful to understand how much Prezir are good to build amazing climaxes). These songs are only some examples since the album is full of great moments throughout its duration, like the galloping riffs of "Plagiarized Infamy".

As for the music, Prezir did a fine job also on the lyrical side. I am saying this because their lyrics aren't only complex but seem often to be little lessons in history. To mention a few, "Ideologue Alchemy" is about the Dutch prophet and Anabaptist leader Jan Matthys and his attempt to create in Munster (Germany) a new Jerusalem. Instead, "Dar al-harb" (stands in Islamic for "house of war") is about the homonymous non-Muslim part of the world "whose rulers are called upon to accept Islam". Finally, "Hamatsa Death Ritual", that is mainly focused on a particular ritual practised by a "cannibalistic" secret society called Hamatsa belonging to the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, an indigenous people of Canada. Also "Janicari" deserves a brief mention because it is sung in Serbian since the singer, Luka Djordjevic (that alternate his Quorton-esque screams with some deep growls), comes from Serbia.

If I had listened before to this album, I think that I would have put it into my 2018 TOP TEN releases. In fact, "As Rats Devour Lions" is almost flawless ("almost" because the sound of the drums could be more powerful) and shows a martial black metal with thrash and death metal influences and some epic vibes that is very close to another hybrid extreme band like Order from Chaos. So, if you like that and the likes, then I strongly believe that Prezir will amaze you without any stupid doubts. Guaranteed!!!

Tracklist:

1 - As Rats Devour Lions
2 - Ideologue Alchemy
3 - Janičari
4 - Dar al-Harb
5 - Serpents in the House of Ra
6 - Hamatsa Death Ritual
7 - Plagiarized Infamy
8 - Oedipus Context

Line-up:

Luka Djordjevic - vocals
Rory Heikkila - guitars
Tyler Okrzesik - guitars
Jerry Hauppa - bass
Brian Serzynski - drums

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Prezir
BandCamp: https://prezir.bandcamp.com/
Godz ov War Productions: http://godzovwar.com/