Fratricide - _Prayers for an Apocalypse_
(Vengeance, 2008)
by: Quentin Kalis (6 out of 10)
A number of European countries, such as Finland and Switzerland, have compulsory "national service", meaning that virtually any band from those lands have members who have been in the military; but in the absence of any conceivable war, it's just paintball with marching. The closest that most militaristic black metal projects have been to war is watching "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down" DVDs. This is not the case for Fratricide, as founding members have served in the US army.

Fratricide performs black metal, even if the opener sounds like a heavy metal song rendered in an extreme context and does not really fit in with the three orthodox tracks that follow. They are at their best blasting away with guitar screeching in the background, which ties in well with their militaristic stance. Less successful are the infrequent attempts at atmosphere, which sound forced, while the mid-paced sections are really just bridges linking the good stuff. The production could be better, even for an album of this nature and limited resources. The guitars dominate, to the detriment of the vocals, whilst most of the drums sound muffled, with the exception of the snare.

Overall, they manage a demo that has its moments, but they are limited to passages rather than songs. If Fratricide build upon their strengths they may just become a valuable addition to the USBN pandemonium.

Contact: http://www.troopsoftheapocalypse.com/

(article published 22/8/2008)


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