Band:	Körgull The Exterminator
Album:	Built To Kill
Style:	Blackened thrash metal
Release date:	August 2023

01. The Devil's Sea
02. Existential Risk
03. The Nine Circles Of Hell
04. Built To Kill
05. In The Darkest Of Times
06. Exterminator
07. Night Of The Devil
08. Death To Human Race
09. Ritual Suicide
10. Count Estruch

Let's travel back to the very beginning, to the beginning of the first wave of black metal, during which time thrash was all the range. Körgull The Exterminator transport listeners to that very dark and evil place in metal music history.

Körgull The Exterminator are a Spanish blackened thrash metal outfit that formed back in 2004, with a line-up featuring original members Joe Bastard (Akerbeltz/Beheaded Lamb) on drums, vocalist Lilith Necrobitch (Beheaded Lamb) and guitarist Mark Wild (Whirlwind), along with guitarist Ghorth (Decapitated Christ) who joined back in 2009, and this year's latest addition on bass, César Valladares (Decapitated Christ). The band now have six releases to their name, which now includes this year's latest release Built To Kill. Going on previous releases, Körgull The Exterminator have often been compared (and rightly so) to the likes of Sodom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Darkthrone, and early Voivod; I would go as far to say that a blend of all five would be a fair and accurate description for the band's particular style.

Blackened thrash is usually a plain and simple (that being traditional thrash with blackened elements) sub-genre, and Körgull The Exterminator are no exception to this furiously exhilarating and filthy sub-genre. Now, this has been as good of a year as any for blackened thrash, with some great albums being released from the likes of Hellripper, Hot Graves, and Necrodeath. So, how does Körgull The Exterminator's latest output stack against those releases, I wonder? With ten relatively short tracks at a reasonable forty-minute total running length, Built To Kill carries on their mighty trend, delving deeper into the raw and sinister first wave of black metal, and reviving those evil traditional influences of early Bathory, Hellhammer, and Darkthrone like never before. To put it simply, Built To Kill blows all previous releases out of the water; the raw and devilish energy is cranked right up to the max, the production is stripped back as bare as it could possibly get, and the tempo is as furious as ever. The vocals are shrieks of savage rage, giving off an insanely demonic presence, spurting out dark blasphemous lyrics (as if it would be any other way), a trademark, as you will, for modern standard blackened thrash today.

You should know what to expect just from song titles such as "The Nine Circles Of Hell", "Night Of The Devil", and "Ritual Suicide", and from what you've likely encountered from previous ventures from this band, but if not, then I'll give you an insight. From "Dogs Of War" right through to the epic closer "Count Estruch", you're met by frenzied tremolo attacks and furious pounding blast-beats, none more so than the frantic, relentless tempo of "Night Of The Devil". You'll also be accustomed to glimpses of early Bathory influences, including Quorthon's signature wailing solos, most notably on tracks such as "In The Darkest Of Times". This is one of the standout songs for me, opening with a hellish demonic scream, like something out of a nightmare, which returns several more times to send a chilling shiver down the listener's spine. However, there are other moments that'll surely send those goosebumps racing to the surface of your skin. "Death To Human Race" is a prime contender for doing just that; this track features sinister backing chants behind those blackened shrieks, and the thunderous drumming effect actually sounds as if a thunderbolt is being struck down right before you.

The style of Built To Kill is simple, traditional, and nothing new; don't expect your mind to be blown by something original and truly out there, and don't think you're going to get a wonderful sound quality production. If you like simple thrash with blackened elements and want to relive the days of when Venom, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Bathory were first introducing themselves to the metal world, then you'll enjoy what Körgull The Exterminator offer here. It's delightfully sinister.