NUNSLAUGHTER

NUNSLAUGHTER has been spouting odes to the devil since the mid-eighties. Don of the Dead is the only remaining original member of the blasphemous crew who relocated from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. The band's new(er) home is very relevant considering their growing reputation as a powerhouse live act. To their credit, some of NUNSLAUGHTER's newer and younger members have been a part of Cleveland's notorious hardcore scene, which has always been revered for its high energy, particularly as far as live shows go. (Think about bands like INTEGRITY and RINGWORM.) At any rate, Don and his satanic sidekicks have returned with their latest long player, "Satanic Chaos Legions", a 14-song album that's deliciously ripe with timeless death metal madness from front to back.

There is nothing new per se on "Satanic Chaos Legions", and that's very much a good thing. NUNSLAUGHTER is progressively fine-tuning its machine with songs that are tighter, faster when they need to be, and overflowing with memorable choruses and riffs.

"Peukharist", one of the album's obvious slow burns, rides high on a riff that is deliciously basic and simple. As the song moves forward, there is an undeniable sense of mania that's deeply consuming. "Rotten Messiah", on the other hand, proves to be considerably savage and relentless without becoming monotonous, marked by interesting moments of sheer explosiveness. "Jesus Fucking Dies" is unmistakably blasphemous thematically and it sounds exactly as seething as it should. When NUNSLAUGHTER homes in on this element, they outperform 99 percent of black metal bands who sound like they're putting on an act.

There's so much going on musically, a blend of death metal, thrash and black metal that flows seamlessly in way that's somehow singular to NUNSLAUGHTER. "Christian Ruse" perhaps best exemplifies this mix of varied components.

It's been five years since NUNSLAUGHTER's last full-length, "Red Is the Color of Ripping Death". A lot has happened in every realm of life since the pandemic. Since that time, NUNSLAUGHTER's profile and presence within the greater American underground has grown considerably so, meaning this album may quite possibly lead them to greater heights. However the cookie may crumble, there's no question that NUNSLAUGHTER should be touring with the likes of CANNIBAL CORPSE and OBITUARY. "Satanic Chaos Legions" is, quite simply, mandatory listening for aficionados of dark extreme metal. Their deceased, former drummer Jim Sadist, adored by many, would surely be proud.