Nunslaughter has been spreading their joyful filth since 1987, when their Ritual of Darkness demo was unleashed upon the unsuspecting Death Metal community. Two fistfuls of various split albums were released until they put out their first full-length album, Hell’s Unholy Fire (2000). That’s when I first heard them, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
I covered their split EP with the mighty Fluids in these hallowed pages back in 2023. That came hot on the heels of Red is the Color of Ripping Death (2021), which just so happens to be their last full-length until now, and their brand-spanking-new album, Satanic Chaos Legions.
I was recently asked if there’s any album I don’t like; it does feel like I like most of the albums I have covered (including this one). I didn’t like the new Sepultura… there’s that. I don’t know, but it’s a true story that this album kills, and the only reason I didn’t mind it being a streaming promo is that my device is out of memory, so I don’t have any choice in the matter.
So yeah, this is another one of those maturation albums. If the new Darkthrone is their Black Album, as I opined in my review for THAT album in these pages as well, then Satanic Chaos Legions is Nunslaughter’s finest hour and their most mature album to date.
So from the title track, you already have a baseline for how things are going to go down. It’s a blistering Death/Thrash number that’ll get your head rattling right away. The production is on point with the move to BLKIIBLK, and this being Nunslaughter’s debut on the label, it had to be good, right?
“Jesus Fucking Dies” is track numero dos, and it is just as brutal as a song bearing that title should be. It’s a short track too, running 1:20. Which is perfectly fine; the whole album has a runtime of 34:11 and so it shows up, metes out some blasphemy and moves on. “Unsacrament” scoots along pretty fucking quickly as well. A slice of diabolical Death Thrash, it’s an intense bloodbath taking place in just a few minutes.
Bands like Nunslaughter get the fucking job done right away. No niceties for you here, only bludgeoning OSDM, and isn’t that what should be expected? By now, yes. These guys are legends in the Pittsburgh/Ohio area, and it’s easy to see why. They’re consistently good whether it’s a full-length or a split EP.
”Christian Ruse” is the most Slayer song on the album that’s also balls-to-the-wall Death Thrash in sort of a Malevolent Creation sort of manner, so think of those two bands having a bastard offspring; there’s a tasty blast section near the end of the track as well. Meanwhile, “Die Your Own Death” comes barging in like a drunken rhino with an attitude.
Satanic Chaos Legions checks all the boxes for what makes a great OSDM release in 2026. “Rotten Messiah”, “Peukharist” and “In the Flames of Inferno” form the guts of the album, ripping open gates to Hell and dancing with demons. Each track on this record seethes with rage and hatred for the Christian Church.
“Heavenless” is a knuckle-dragging spectacle of neck-snapping destruction, while “Lucifer the Light” is a Slayer-esque thrasher that’s got a slew of killer riffing going on in its short runtime. “Cathedral of Stench” brings some crazy time changes: first, it’s mid-paced and almost friendly until the middle of the song, and it’s blasting drums twisting and turning, smashing into a hypnotic blast of doom before cranking it up again.
Rounding out the end of the album, it’s “Listen to the Lies” for the fastest track. From the count-in to the abrupt stop, it’s a Death Grind, rude sonofabitch. I eat shit like that up; it’s like being hit by a train, in the ears…
“Infernal Reign” is a fucking Punk waiting to stab you and take your money or your life. It’s followed by “The Spear of Satan”, the last track, and it’s a shredder. There’s this cool skanky beat before the track ends. There’s your money gone.
Satanic Chaos Legions is a solid OSDM album from a band who have been spreading their Satanic devotion for years. Nunslaughter doesn’t have to prove a fucking thing; they’ve stayed true to themselves and the scene as a whole. Their videos on Facebook are interesting as hell, so if you don’t follow them, you’re missing out.
By now if you love bands like Mortician, Deeds of Flesh, Fleshgrind and of course… Slayer. Always Slayer. Get this apocalyptic beast and be scorched by Hell’s flames.
