Merciless Metal Onslaught

Protector: forbidding Teutonic thrash that walks the deathly path; Ungod: occult black metal with Teutonic thrash undertones. Two guardians at the gate of true knowledge, leading beyond the surface, into the depths. One recently reunited; the other trudging wearily on. Neither as heralded as they ought to be but deeply rewarding to those who hold them in high regard. That Protector & Ungod should share a split makes total sense to me and goes to show that different sub-categories of metal can easily share space together.

Protector had only recently reunited when they laid down their side and, unfortunately, it shows a bit. The German thrash legends were still finding their feet, which leaves tracks like "Xenophobia" & "Lycopolis" struggling to establish an identity. That they are paired against a re-recording of "Retribution In Darkness" only highlights the disparity. Not that these new tracks are bad, they are just a bit crude and underdeveloped. While its certainly great to hear Martin Missy's harsh rasp back in front of Protector, one wishes they'd held these two tracks back in favor of better material. The re-record is fine, and Martin never sang this one before (it was after he left), so that's a plus. "Retribution In Darkness" is a Protector highlight, aptly demonstrating all of Protector's past (and future) strengths, though the demo-ish production doesn't do it any favors.

Ungod's side starts with a somewhat tired and typical ambient intro, meant to sound all spooky but kinda silly. Doesn't matter though. "Cursed Be Thy Name" immediately obliterates all such pretensions with deeply furrowed grooves of mid-paced chunky riffage. Ungod make the kind of black metal I can get behind, with a bass heavy tone undergirding extremely serrated riffs and very menacing, high end vocals. And they aren't afraid to get a well-produced, white bright sound. In a way, the songs presented here could've come off a latter-day Kreator album, just with black metal vocals and a much more occult vibe. Unlike Protector, Ungod aren't feeling their way here. They are a tightly honed machine, churning out an old-school black-death sound that while not wholly original is totally enjoyable.

Protector side: 66%
Ungod side: 83%
Total: 74.5% (rounded up)