Band:	Bütcher
Album:	On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing
Style:	Black metal, Heavy metal, Speed metal
Release date:	October 25, 2024
Guest review by:	Blackcrowe

01. A Divine Wind
02. Speed Metal Samurai
03. Blessed By The Blade
04. Koraktor's Iron Rule
05. Keep The Steele (Flamin' Hot)
06. A Sacrifice To Satan's Spawn
07. A Gypsy's Tale (Of Sex And Seance)
08. An Ending In Fyre

Extrême De Belgique

Bütcher, “les métalleux belges”, return with On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing, a follow-up to their impressive 2020 release, 666 Goats Carry My Chariot. This new album showcases their signature sound of speed-blackened extreme metal across eight tracks and 44 intense minutes.

On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing delivers a great and notorious vocal performance from R. Hellshrieker and an exceptional instrumentation, creating a distinct atmosphere that captures Bütcher’s sound. The band maintains a high-energy tempo, keeping the intensity from start to finish. Bütcher sometimes go onto extreme metal territory, while also drawing from classic ’80s metal, Bay Area thrash, and black/death metal.

The record opens with “A Divine Wind,” a short instrumental intro, leading into the amusingly titled “Speed Metal Samurai,” which showcases Bütcher’s signature speed and blackened metal style with fast riffs and explosive drumming that set the album’s tone. Tracks like “Blessed by the Blade,” “Koraktor’s Iron Rule,” and “Keep the Steele (Flamin’ Hot)” bring the classic, fast, thrash riffing with 80s influences, adding a punk energy while maintaining a modern blackened edge.

Following these songs, the concept side of the record begins, featuring a unique overarching story written by R Hellshrieker (vocals) and KK Ripper (lead guitar). The music drastically changes, interweaving melodies, sitars, organs, and various percussion instruments to create an unexpected musical journey, bringing their sound closer to a prog version of themselves.

My favorite track on the album is “A Sacrifice to Satan’s Spawn.” It shifts into darker, slower rhythms that add an epic feel to the album’s middle section with outstanding instrumentation. “A Gypsy’s Tale (Of Sex and Seance)” and “An Ending in Fyre” feature dynamic shifts from slower, melodic passages to blistering death metal growling sections, balancing their intensity and speed.

On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing's production has a vintage feel with strong vocal presence, but I have some observations about the final mix. The album is very noisy, causing some instruments particularly the drums to occasionally get lost. Additionally, the mix, in its pursuit of originality and a vintage sound, feels somewhat flat, with a mid-range emphasis that impacts stereo panning and depth. However, this could simply be my obsessively precise hearing at work.

On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing is a fantastic album, with an explosive mix of high-speed obscure metal, shows Bütcher’s energetic delivery. If you love classic metal in all forms, this record has to be an excellent listen.