Heresiarch- Hammer of Intransigence(2011)

Heresiarch- Hammer of Intransigence

Torrid storms of punishing, golf ball sized hail and the sonic screams of victimized demons being raped in Hell is all one can expect from Heresiarch’s debut EP, Hammer of Intransigence, a title which would be almost hilariously appropriate for the product on display if it weren’t so painful. The weak and the lame shall be obliterated under the heel, and the strong will merely live long enough to suffer for their endurance and foolish hope for survival. Blood will pool underneath your shapeless, mushy remains, and your final thoughts will be of pain.

Too bad Hammer of Intransigence isn’t more fun.

While no non-sense brutality is always a nice thing, New Zealand’s Heresiarch are a force of massive destruction that leaves no actual room for anything else but frankly ridiculous chaos. Hammer of Intransigence is a mostly unoriginal piece of dime-a-dozen Death Metal, drawing from Deeds of Flesh, Angelcorpse and Bolt Thrower without grabbing any charm along the way. Points must be given for not ripping off Incantation, but merely exceeding an already sad expectation will not win anyone any medals. For all of its Hell fire and brute strength, Hammer of Intransigence cannot break free from the chains of conceptual inadequacy.

There are certainly some redeeming qualities on display here: the band are tight, know what they want and play with a clear zeal for Sadism, and the spectacle this album makes of mass annihilation is something to behold. But unlike the bands this group clearly idolize, or even unlike the bands that sired Heresiarch(fellow New Zealander’s Witchrist and Diocletian), this group just can’t help but destroying themselves along with everything else around them.

Rating: 6/10