I remember back in the day record labels like Roadrunner and Earache were the ultimate seal of quality (this was in the ‘80s, before they lost the plot and signed dubious artists). If you saw their logo on a release then you knew it’d be worth your hard earned pocket money, well the same thing now applies to Polish label Godz ov War. They’ve been trawling the dark depths of the metal underground to bring us the very best in extreme music and their latest find is Portugal quartet Repugnator. Delivering a rather nice line in blackened thrash, their debut EP Foul Transfixation is a bombastic affair and one which sets them on a path to potential glory.
Although the inlay card lists five tracks and there are spaces between the individual songs, my CD version of Foul Transfixation plays the whole EP straight through in all its eighteen minute glory. However, when the music is as good as that which Repugnator deliver, that’s no real hardship and as these songs are linked by a certain level of heaviness they are best enjoyed as a collective whole. And when we’re talking of heavy metal, they don’t come much more weighty than opening track ‘Putrid Gates Of Bone’. Sounding as if someone has dipped a microphone into the lower reaches of hell, it truly is an arresting experience. The vocals spew as if from Satan’s mouth, they are supremely evil and growl at the lowest register, the bass is delivered with a bowel loosening rumble, the guitars are wildly erratic, whilst the drums are possessed and beat insane rhythms. It’s certainly not made for the faint hearted, but those who like their metal with plenty of spit and vinegar will find a spiritual home here.
Things have moved pretty fast for Porto’s Repugnator since their formation in 2023 and this EP is typical of that forward motion and drive. There’s no signs of flagging or depreciation of heaviness as the band power their way through these five tracks, with the penultimate title-track a windswept thrasher, whilst closing song ‘Visage Of Rot’ is akin to a musical beatdown. If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like being tortured in a dungeon I imagine it would sound a lot like ‘Visage Of Rot’ and is the kind of track that’s make every serial killers Spotify playlist.
A strong debut from this crew means Foul Transfixation will leave you transfixed.
- Foul Transfixation is released via Godz Ov War Productions and is available now.
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Track List:
- Putrid Gates Of Bone
- Sprawling Piles Of Disgust
- Pyretic Smog Of Degredation
- Foul Transfixation
- Visage Of Rot
