A Stab in the Heart of Christ

2014 sees Sacramento based grinding black metallers Killgasm return with their second full length album, A Stab in the Heart of Christ. The band has released a steady stream of splits and EP's since their 2002 formation, but recent years have seen the band buckling down and focusing on long players. 2011's Bloodbath of Satanic Vengeance was a surprisingly catchy album full of grinding black metal (yes, you read that correctly) and this album is no different. Mixing a bit of everything into a boiling vat, Killgasm's sound is truly one of those unholy amalgamations is usually reserved for the darkest of nightmares.

A Stab in the Heart of Christ exists to show the world that grinding black metal doesn't have to be a noisy abrasive immersion with nothing but blast beats and trem picking as sustenance. Sure, there are plenty of genre hallmarks strewn throughout the ten tracks here; such as the constant mix of raspy, squelched screams and deep, guttural bellows and the band's penchant for playing extremely fast bursts of grinding rhythms and blastbeats, like on the blistering opener, the aptly titled “Black Grinding Terror”. As you work your way through the album, though, you find it's a different beast altogether. Yeah, it's heavy and black and grinding, but the band mixes in a ton of influences, like the chugging gallops during “Revenge”, the second wave worshiping melodic trem during “Planet Earth Mass Grave” or the extremely punk influenced power chords during the album's title track. It makes for an extremely diverse album that remains cohesive through the band's constant returning to blackened grind after every detour.

I understand that the audience for blackened grind is quite limited, but the punk influence and melodic touches help keep Killgasm's heads above most of the field. Sure, there are some moments were the riffs are quite as furious as they could be and some parts where the music sounds a bit tepid, but overall the band has latched onto a winning formula. Even with a modern and relatively clean production, the band's sound is still blasphemous and quite filthy. Despite all of its grinding, punked up blackness, it'd be nice to see Killgasm moving out of their comfort zone a bit and taking a few risks.

At thirty-nine minute long, A Stab in the Heart of Christ is a quick assault on the senses. Killgasm show the metal world that there is more to life than blastbeats. Fans of early Anaal Nathrakh should find some enjoyment here. While the band's sound isn't as caustic as their brethren across the pond, they've struck a nice balance between black metal, grind and punk.

Written for The Metal Observer.