July 24, 2009 | | 4.5

Impiety, Terroreign

Impiety: Terroreign (Apocalyptic Armageddon Command)

Have you ever watched one of those “When Good Animals Go Bad” type of shows. You know, the kind where an unsuspecting commentator is kneeling beside what appears to be a docile, people-friendly mountain lion, only to have their face and neck torn to shreds by razor sharp claws a second later as the beast’s instincts kick in. That’s pretty much what you’ve got here in Impiety‘s latest offering, Terroreign (Apocalyptic Armageddon Command).

For nearly two decades this Singapore outfit has been delivering blind-siding blast after maniacal blast of blackened thrash with a savagery unrivaled by many. The band’s eighth full length explores your cracked skull with the gentleness of a frenzied grizzly getting at your soft underbelly. Driving guitars are tinged with a rawness only found in freshly severed limbs while the bludgeoning of the drums will surely pummel you into submission after only the third song.

Intro
Both the “Intro” and “Outro” were composed by Holocausto Vengeance of Beherit and feature dark atmospherics and a cheesy “Satan” voiceover. Note to self: skip in future listenings.

Vientos de Holocausto
The first real song on the album erupts with a furious scream and sick guitar work and while blasting drums hit at a rapid fire pace. This one has the classic Impiety sound and intensity with some really nicely timed breaks in the action to accentuate some burly growls. There’s much more structure to this song than much of the band’s material — I’m digging it. The lead at 1:30 is evil as hell.

Atomic Angel Assault
“Atomic Angel Assault” starts off with some big riffs and a grunt as pummeling drums come in to lay waste to your ears. After a slick lead at the :28 mark, the band gets down to business with some seriously savage rhythms and ferocity. The layered vocals that pepper this track are a nice touch.

Terroreign
The title track starts off with galloping drums and sick guitars for the first 10 seconds before a series of grunts and belches leads in a sweet lead. The sheer destruction these guys leave in their wake must be on a national disaster level. “Terroreign” has more evil guitar work and soul pummeling rhythms in the first minute and a half than most mere mortals can handle. Talk about explosive!

As Judea Burns
“As Judea Burns” has a thick, nasty bass line rumbling behind rapid fire drum work to get the song started before settling into a ferocious gallop of biblical proportions. There’s little change to the formula, but the band certainly more than makes up for it in their delivery. That said, the stop/start moments that pepper the song really keep you on your toes. The track ends with a serious round of crushing drums and guitars.

Goatfather
“Goatfather” opens up with the “Satan” voice and then transitions not so smoothly into Impiety‘s patent pending method of global annihilation. More layered vocals add to the bombing raid chaos that this track carries along with it. the lead at 2:10 is damned impressive. There are some almost grind-like drum blasts that make an appearance around the three minute mark. This is one hell of a song.

Bestial to the Bone
Thick guitars and pile driving drums waste no time getting down to business as “Bestial to the Bone” aims to shatter your spinal column in record time. If you can manage to hang on through the blasting first three minutes or so you’ll be treated with a very slick series of leads.

The Black Fuck
After a quick belch and a bit of groove for the first 30 seconds, Impiety get things going with a sweet lead and blasting drums. Man, another hellish lead at 2:20 is sure to shred some tendons. I’m not sure about the odd gagging effect thrown into the vocal mix, but hey whatever floats your boat. The “chorus” if that’s what you want to call it is hella fun to scream along with.

My Dark Subconscious
“My Dark Subconscious” is a cover a song from Morbid and serves as the last proper song on the album. It starts off a bit slower than the rest of the album as the band deliberately build up to a chugging rhythm and slower vocal delivery. The slower pace is a welcome change from the frantic blasts we’ve heard throughout the album. I love the lead that ends the song.

Outro
See “Intro”

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Favorite Tracks:
All of them

Additional Notes:
N/A