Orgasmic Glory

Rubbing shoulders - and God knows what else - with fellow Fighter prospects Diamond Chazer, Hyperion, Tytus and War Dogs is Ottawa-n speed metal artifact Aphrodite, which, at March's end, released its sophomore full-length album fittingly titled Orgasmic Glory, comprised of eight knuckle-dusting battle odes, topping the charts at thirty minutes of raw genre embellishment fanatics of similarly impetuous, gal fronted, raging acts such as Kentucky's Savage Master and/or Italian sacrifice-r Sign Of The Jackal will relish.

Arriving on slashed heels of 2019's already-impressive Lust And War debut LP, this latest continues to fire on all cylinders, with razor-sharp, steely riffs and firmly audible, highly energized bass lines dominating the fray, from start to finish, whilst front woman Tanza Speed's laconically wan, yet spell-binding, chants (somewhat reminiscent of Cannibal's Gretchen Steel) effortlessly keep pace alongside these oft triplet-based, albeit relentless-as-Hell, drumming formulas/tempos...at drop of a bashed-in, violently disused Corinthian helmet.

Opener and longest track "Troy Is Burning" commences to sound of low, menacing growl, before a maniacally crashing drum breakdown paves way for lead axe man Yan Turbo's scorcher of an intro solo - about half of Orgasmic Glory's run-time consists of randomly explosive, usually whammy-d the frig out fretwork - as a super hot and resonating bass feed upholds this rockiest of war anthems. Also, as stated by my Guyanese yeoman, Cosmic Mystery, a rough punk element is gleaned, through either genial and raw gang shouts on "Dance Wild And Free" (nay, ghoulies, no youthful prologue to Hessian's "Old, Wild And Free!", from 2010) or rockabilly-like tinge of "Herakles, War Cry".

My preferred song, however, rests in "Meadows of Asphodel", thanks to its sly, teetering shuffle, as well as early, vertiginous leads, not to mention revved up and galvanizing bass line, which makes me feel like I'm being ceaselessly poked n' prodded by an evil poltergeist until point of demonic ebullition (as "possession" is so 1980s!). What's more, Aphrodite entails Jo Galipeau's strongest venture outside of Iron Dogs and Cannibal.

Ultimately, Greek mythology and thrash-y speed metal constitute marriage in Hades!