Review of Killgasm - Bloodbath of Satanic Vengeance

Well, my ears are still ringing after blasting this one on the MP3 player, so you know those black metal minor note “melodies” were pushing the treble reading beyond the red and into the abyss, as any USBM album worth its corpse paint should. Beyond the infliction of audio terror upon the listener, Bloodbath of Satanic Vengeance is a meat-and-potatoes, traditional USBM album, except for the odd twist and an overall approach that gives one the impression that these fellows are having a little fun with the subgenre.

The fun part would seem to make sense, considering Killgasm released a demo in 2004 called Sodomized for Satan. How did you think Sam Walton would have felt about that? Clearly, the message isn’t being delivered with philosophical passages and rigid adherence to the tenants of the Church of Satan. The picture should become clearer once you read song titles like “The Blackest Holokaust,” “Destroyer of Girls,” and “Pissing on your Cross.” And since the over the top, piss taking lyrical/imagery approach is accompanied with lots of rip ‘n tear, then I say three cheers for the horned one and bring on the beer bong.

Though for the most part it is predictable in its compositional form, much of it is pretty convincing from a musical delivery point of view and the aural impact is undeniably savage. The blast ‘n shred could turn rivers to blood, as a song like opener “Perpetrators of Total Extermination” demonstrates. The tune also boasts a certain – dare I say, – rockin’ swing in parts that works well and is one of a few twists that serve well this offering to he who shall not be named, but whom we shall call the Third Degree Sun Burnt One. The bits of diversity (some tempo variation, dirge dips, etc) injected into the songs structures go a long way. But most notable is when the vocals shift to a kind of black metal “bree” (kind of like a mid-register DM pig squeal) in both pattern and inflection, as is the case on “Bound to Bleed” and “The Blackest Holokaust.” It is really quite comical to hear. That’s not a slam; just a recognition of a band that appears less concerned with taking itself seriously to the point of absurdity and more concerned with tearing new holes in those that get too close. The band’s cover of Misfits’ classic “Last Caress” is a blast in several senses of the word. I should also make note of some wise use of audio samples as well, as each one grabbed my attention.

With the exception of a few tracks that don’t quite seal the deal (e.g. the title track and “Destroyer of Girls”), Bloodbath of Satanic Vengeance does offer some value for all but the strictest black metal devotees. Never fear, Killgasm poses no threat to the USBM elite and that’s surely not the intent anyway. It’s not like the album will be a contender for the year’s best black metal release, but the devastation factor is significant and if you “get” what Killgasm is bringing to the table, then you’ll at least find the meal a satisfying one. I know I did; I even went back for seconds.