CoC : Occult - Rage to Revenge : Review

Occult - _Rage to Revenge_
(Painkiller, 2001)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)

This is one eagerly anticipated slab after Painkiller sent us the face-ripping promo-single (_Violence and Hatred_) a few months back. Expect more of the same hair-raising mayhem on this full-length ritual; like most all Dutch death metal combos, Occult seem to have a knack for churning out bucketfuls of clench-fisted riffs without lapsing into the monotony of countless play-as-fast-as-you-can deathsters. Distinctly _Necroticism_-era Carcass (the twin vocals don't help either), _RtR_ may not rank high on the originality chart, but that doesn't stop it from grabbing you by the throat from the very outset with blazing old-school riffs whizzing past like machine-gun fire. Take a faster, less tongue-in-cheek version of _Necroticism_, throw in a bunch of headbang-inducing thrash riffs, and you can imagine the punch this little 35-minute scorcher packs. Musicianship is as tight as you could ask for -- crucial for such an intense album -- and the fluent songwriting reflects the decade or so of experience this combo has behind them. Certainly an album to put them alongside other Dutch greats like Pentacle, Asphyx and God Dethroned, and worthy of the four or five formats Painkiller is planning on releasing it in.

Contact: http://www.painkiller-records.com

(article published 12/4/2002)

ALBUMS
8/12/2001	A Wee	9	Occult - Violence and Hatred

GIGS
3/5/2000	M Noll	Morbid Angel / Gorgoroth / God Dethroned / Amon Amarth / Krisiun / Occult	Formulas Fatal to Gorgoroth