AYAT

Oppression, violence, human depravity, the very notion of free thought crushed under the thumb of tyranny and the looming threat of persecution for anyone who dare speak out against the status quo. Throughout history, these societal mainstays have done their job in keeping the masses in line, but have also inspired some of humanity's greatest ideologies and innovations. History's pages are filled with the names and stories of those bold enough to call bullshit where bullshit needed to be called and left mankind forever changed in the wake of their actions. While peaceful and productive non-conformity have shed light upon some of history's biggest truths, such as the Earth's place in the universe and evolution, we can't all stand smiling in the face of subjugation. Sometimes, we need to fight fire with fire and, next to taking a blow torch to the face of your oppressor, no fire burns hotter than that sparked by the clashing of instruments in a metal band's rehearsal room.

A favored outlet among modern society's rouges and reprobates, metal was created as (musically speaking) an aggressive and violent reaction to a bullshit-driven action from the powers that be, and not many metal acts have encompassed this spirit more than Beirut's AYAT. Considering the ungodly amount of man's inhumanity to man that AYAT's core of Reverend Filthy Fuck (throats) and Mullah Sadogoat (strings) have bore witness to over the last half decade since forming the band, "Six Years Of Dormant Hate" only begins to sum up the vehemence that has gone into this disc. AYAT does well in diversifying the manner in which they express their distaste for the world; all while maintaining a consistent Christ/Allah-burning industro-black metal sound. In just under an hour, AYAT wreaks more havoc than a bus full of suicide bombers with psychotically nuclear-blasting, sado-sonic tunes like "Ilahiya Khinzir! (All Hail Allah The Swine)", which climaxes into an orgy of blastbeats and pig squeals, and the two-minutes of hate that is "Collective Suicide In The Boudoir (Feeling Wonderful Tonight)". "The Fine Art Of Arrogance: Part One (The Icon And The Cattle)" brings a strong blackened-punk vibe, as does "Misogyny When We Embrace", though the latter also carries some very powerful, thrashy hooks. Showing more depth than your average blackened blasphemers, "Puking Under Radiant Moonlight (Followed By A Century Long Ejaculation)" comes across like a brutally Satanic, Lebanese MINISTRY, while "Fornication And Murder" is one of the most cerebrally chilling tunes I've heard in a long time. After a few opening moments of grindcore, AYAT doom things down a bit before falling into a trance-like drone, complete with some very disturbing samples of what sounds like a small demon child. Whatever it is, it's fucked up.

As stellar as the bands on Moribund Records' roster are, AYAT very well could take the cake. Much more than a black metal band that has incorporated outside elements into their sound, AYAT has gone the extra mile and crossed into, not necessarily new territory, but definitely roads less traveled. The presence of bands like IMPALED NAZARENE and BEHERIT can be felt, but ultimately AYAT defines their own sound.