Barbarian "Reek of God" LP

The latest full-length from Italy’s Barbarian, Reek of God is a ferocious slab of “retrogarde metal” blending raw speed, thrash, and proto-extreme metal into a stripped-down, riff-heavy assault with relentless intensity and attitude. Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, early Bathory, Running Wild, raw speed/thrash metal Truer than true, Italy’s BARBARIAN have almost become a subgenre unto themselves during the past 16 years. Although, let there be no confusion: BARBARIAN are HEAVY METAL. A power-trio of not just metal maniacs but actual MUSIC maniacs, of all persuasions, BARBARIAN integrate all kinds of crude-yet-refined DNA into their particular palette, almost effortlessly resulting in something that’s dieharder than anything around and yet elevating heavy metal to an artform worthy of the fanciest museum. Or, quite the opposite: denim and leather, spikes and chains, swords and sorcery, ugly men and beautiful women, each dawn they die… Either way, to experience BARBARIAN is to imbibe the essence of heavy metal, infused with personality and panache, killing with power and charisma. Posers don’t need to leave the hall because they wouldn’t be able read the map to it in the first place. Now, following a trio of hailed albums for Hells Headbangers – Cult of the Empty Grave (2016), To No God Shall I Kneel (2019), and Viperface (2022) – BARBARIAN join forces with longtime fans DYING VICTIMS for the Italians’ sixth full-length, Reek of God. Like clockwork, it’s another three years between albums, and BARBARIAN deliver the goods. And yet, this is also a new chapter in their series: “retrogarde metal,” chronologically after “total metal,” “absolute metal,” “obtuse metal,” and “regressive metal.” As such (and in possession of exactly 98 riffs in 35 minutes), the ten central songs comprising Reek of God are shorter and more to-the-point but basically with no classic rock structure of verse / chorus. BARBARIAN’s characteristic sound – in the simplest of terms, raw speed and epic metal meets even rawer proto-extreme metal – has here been enriched with a vein close to mid ‘80s death metal and even metal-tinged punk, but with a flow of tempo-changes and riffs to be found only in late ‘80s / early ‘90s developments of extreme metal. BARBARIAN are nothing if not studious acolytes; they know their shit, and then make records about it. Still, Reek of God has its own surprises. Of course, the album’s lyrics strike at everything that is religious. But special mention must be made for “Shit He Forgives,” which is based on the lyrics of “Reality Asylum” by anarcho-punk pioneers Crass, and “Crossburn,” which is a political statement that places the band on the opposite side of the spectrum regarding the KKK connection the title might suggest. Deepening the record-nerd’dom, the album’s “Warning” intro is a take on the Ice-T intro of the same name on the legendary rapper’s Home Invasion album from 1993. Likewise, BARBARIAN’s cover here of the Los Angeles L7’s “Freak Magnet” is one featuring their typical Hellhammer-ish atonal riffs – which were atypical for L7, drawing an otherwise-overlooked throughline of aesthetic symbiosis – and inspired by the 1992 version produced by Butch Vig (on the Everglade EP) rather than the 1994 version produced by Gggaarth (on Hungry for Stink). Wait…Crass, L7, and Ice-T on a BARBARIAN album?! Believe it, comrade: this is the Reek of God!