Thank Frank for bands like SORATH. Here I am, behind on my review schedule needing to catch up and pick up “Vivimos En Perpetua Guerra.” From the opening salvo I know this is going to be a quick and easy task. This album just grabs you like a deftly wielded meat hook and puts a grin on your face from start to finish. There is nothing not to like here and so you may as well just sit back and enjoy the ride.

SORATH remind me of a meatier OBTEST and like their buddies TROLLECH it is the folk inspired melodies that gets anything on your body with a joint tapping, nodding or bouncing. Opener “My Last Heraldic Sign” bolts from its hole as if its life depended on it and thrills for the chase, catchier than the clap, your enthusiasm levels will soar as the surging lead riff injects its venom into the traditional ethnic influence of its structure. With songs like this, if you are left unmoved then I would think your pulse pissed off long ago.

SORATH have been going for yonks but this is the first time I have heard them. They have left the corpse paint behind and looking at them now you would happily leave them alone with your teenage daughter. Big mistake ‘cos these boys rip a caustic and intoxicating blend of Black Metal, Death Metal and those folk melodies. Most of the tracks hurtle along at break neck pace with brief moments of respite, they know how to mix the dynamics and this is one album I can’t see myself tiring of anytime soon. Even tracks like “The Teachers Of Wisdom” that are more sombre in outlook still use those melodies, albeit sparingly, to lift you out of the gloom. SORATH aren’t averse to injecting a smidgeon of Heavy Metal into the mould as evidenced on “The Legions Of Bafomets.” Here the pace gears down a peg or two but still retains the bands signature.

Some of the tracks on offer here have quite a punky undercurrent (and I’m talking the proper hard as nails stuff before you start whining about sullying Black Metals name with such an association.) That style of playing serves as a perfect foundation for the lead riffs to build upon and with such support the melodies can race about with abandon. The production is spot on, there is nothing clinical about it, these boys are running amok in the muck and enjoying every minute. Songs like “The Fifth Point” are proper shout-alongs, ideal for spilling your beer to and in that sense you could lump SORATH in with FINNTROLL as a perfect accompaniment to getting pickled to.

The musicianship here is what you would want, impassioned. The vocals are growled with gusto, drums are pummelled without becoming a blast fest (though rapid battery is frequently on display,) there is a well grounded and earthy bass tone and an overall synergy between the players that suggests they are totally in to what they are creating. The tracks have also been ordered in a way that will keep your interest and it’s a nice touch that after the album finishes on a short acoustic interlude, the band have added a bonus in “Finish Of The Sorath’s Sword” from their second demo. This song ends the album as it started with a totally infectious, speedy, folk infused dash to the finish.

I’ll soon be getting headphones fitted to my motorbike helmet for an MP3 player, I can tell you that when it’s done this is getting loaded on and I’ll give my licence a month with this treasure egging me on. Want further recommendation, tough, I’m going on a SORATH back catalogue hunt. (Online February 14, 2006)