Insulters of Jesus Christ

For a band that called their debut album Sex and Lust and feature members called Bitch Hünter and A. Bestial Vomitor, Into the Cave have matured considerably to reach Insulters of Jesus Christ four years later. However, maturation is all in perspective, since the music is still a filthy mix of death and black metal plus nastily primitive Celtic Frost elements that should sate the disgusting needs of hungry Sarcófago fans. This second full-length sees Bitch Hünter joined by three new members after the departure of former cohort R. Inkubus, resulting in a more typical band set-up.

Priorities while recording for Into the Cave seem to have been speed, distortion, blasphemy, and blastbeats, while it’s a safe bet that Bitch Hünter doing the mixing, mastering, and production wasn’t only done to save money but also to make it sound dirtier. If that was the goal, he succeeds, and he and his new Brazilian buddies drip slime as they rip into cuts like ‘Pure Filth from the Grave’ and ‘To Devil a Daughter’, coming across as a deranged, extreme metal Motörhead on the latter song. The pace occasionally drops to a pleasing mid-paced groove on the catchier ‘Heretic’ and ‘Scarlet Queen’, yet the menace of squally soloing and hellfire speed metal riffing is rarely far away.

Despite the extreme drumming and vocals, Insulters of Jesus Christ actually ends up rather accessible, throwing simple riffs around with glee and letting the songs guide themselves by instinct. Nothing truly distasteful turns up, even if the closing ‘Dethronation of Christ’ sounds just like the cover looks, as vicious words are muttered above the noise of flogging and whimpering, while epic guitars and synths echo around the suddenly cavernous recording. That final song turns out to be something quite special, but for the most part Insulters of Jesus Christ does little more than chug back smelly riffs and throw the tins at God.


Originally written for Metalegion #4 - www.metalegion.com