Panzerchrist is back in action.
Formed in Denmark in 1993, the band led by Panzergeneral (keyboards/bass, ex-Illdisposed) recruited Frederik O’Carroll (guitar, Mordulv), Danni Jelsgaard (drums, Vansind, ex-Svartsot), Danny Bo Pedersen (guitar, ex-Arsenic Addict) and Sonja Rosenlund Ahl (vocals, ex-Arsenic Addict) to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary with Last Of A Kind, their eighth album.
Turn The Rack is the first track to hit after that muffled torture sample, letting blast and frantic riffs, later joined by the vocals, lacerate us with their most aggressive Old School approach. A few leads disturb the steady crushing rhythm, notably this final solo with its cutting heavy influences, then My Name Is Lucifer unveils unhealthy tones the musicians perfectly integrate into their unstoppable steamroller of violence driven by wild screams. The only time the band slows down, the sound remains ominous before resuming with a final wave of fury, followed by Last of A Kind, the eponymous track, and its cosmic introduction which leads us into a veritable storm with oppressive Industrial influences. Keyboards add a heavy touch to the effective riffs of this long intriguing and heady composition, then the band returns to pure brutality on The Fires On Gallows Hill, a very short track which rolls over us before setting dissonant tones to lead us to The Devils Whore and its lecherous introduction. Powerful and impressive riffs quickly resurface, sometimes complemented by dark leads to reinforce the suffocating atmosphere, before Sabbath Of The Rat follows, blending sharp melodies with a thick rhythmic basis. The band had chosen this track to announce their return, revealing a slightly more accessible approach at times before flaring up again to feed the intense surge which slightly calms with Baptized In Piss, offering us a brief moment of respite before letting fury express itself once again, while returning to those melancholy melodies that give the rhythm a whole new taste. The album closes with Juniper Creek and its soaring, almost haunting tones, which the band integrates into a lively, solid basis whose recipe the band has not lost, over which saturated vocals almost permanently reign, only stopping for a mysterious break.
At first very raw, then revealing heady and sometimes even airy melodies while keeping a touch of madness, Last Of A Kind perfectly celebrates the great return of Panzerchrist, whose only goal is to crush us once again.
90/100