I lived in Dallas, Texas for the better part of three years and one of the many things that make the state so great (besides the BBQ!) is its metal. Bands like WARBEAST, SOUTHERN FRONT, SHATTERED SUN, EXPLODER, and too many others to mention bring the heavy with a vengeance. No other state can boast having the best food and the best Heavy Fucking Metal bands in the Union. So now, let’s add Austin’s Death Metal madmen WHORE OF BETHLEHEM to that list. Man, oh man can these boys throw down. Their new album Extinguish the Light is out now via Black Market Metal Label and it is a goddamn banger for sure.
Right from the start “Ritual Purification” pushes your nose cartilage through your brain a la Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. The twin guitars of Ryan Sylvie and Phil King lay out a brutal sonic landscape over which vocalist James VanDenBerg growls his way to your destruction. The rhythm section of Alan Berryman (bass) and Sam Axelrad (drums) simply pound everything into submission while being tighter than Scrooge’s wallet. “Invocation” picks up where the previous track left off, while “Overtaken by Evil” introduces a Black Metal element to the proceedings. I wasn’t expecting that, but was pleasantly surprised by it.
After the two-minute dark and brooding interlude “Possession” it’s back to ripping your face off with “Parasitic Abominations” which wastes no time in doing so. Title track “Extinguish the Light” was an instant favorite. The opening guitar riff is nasty as a motherfucker and you can really hear the bass and drums in perfect lockstep, which is so important for any band, but especially in extreme metal ones. VanDenBerg goes to town on this track, too! “Rebirth In Fire” changes the tempo up just a bit, but what it doesn’t change is the immense pummeling we’ve been on the business end of.
Closing track “Ravenous Undead Predators” brings us home and wraps up the disc in fine, brutalizing fashion. All told Extinguish the Light is one mean-sounding Death Metal disc, and one that you should be picking up as soon as you finish reading this. I have a strong feeling that WHORE OF BETHLEHEM are gonna go very far if they keep putting out kickass music like this. This is the kind of record you grill dead things and drink many beers and shots to on a hot summer day and into the night. Way to rep the Great State of Texas, boys!! Best metal in the USA!!
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Extinguish the Light”, “Ritual Purification”, “Overtaken By Evil”, “Parasitic Abominations”
RATING: 9/10
