DUNGEONHAMMER - Infernal Moon

Released October 12/18 (Pulverised Records)

Are the grooves on your Morbid Tales CD being worn off from excessive use? If so, then Dungeonhammer's Infernal Moon is definitely for you. Containing the same grinding guitar tone and pace structure as Celtic Frost's legendary debut E.P., any niggling doubts to its similarities are immediately quashed once the Thomas G. Warrior-inspired vox are emitted. Call it a much belated 'Morbid Tales Part II'.

An international entity, Dungeonhammer is a two-man band with members based in France and Holland, with this representing its first full-length foray (two splits preceded this). Love the production here, the guitars sounding robust and dangerous, while the drums ground and pound ears into cauliflower-ed mush. Perfect for this type of old school, first wave blackness.

It will be interesting to hear where the band takes us next outing. Will they stick with the early belligerent sound, show some evolution into more esoteric soundscapes as the Swiss veterans displayed, or will they strike out with a totally different tonality? Mark me down as one who's looking forward to hearing which.

[7.5]