Rating: 7.2

Country: Poland

Release Date: 2005

Record Label: Old Temple

Track list:
1. Dementia
2. Lethal Venom
3. Terrorist
4. Ch.M.V.J
5. Krew
6. Vission Day's
7. Bestial Slaughter
8. I'll Spit Your Face
9. Never Slave
10. Nieposluszni

Total playing time 38:52

Band Website: Bestiar

Bestiar - Lethal Venom

Rafael Szkopek - Vocals, Guitar
Tomasz Krzyostaniak - Guitar
Witek Dubiel - Drums
Dawid Bielewicz - Bass

Bestiar from Poland play groovy death metal that is too old school to be called trendy. Tall claims yes, but it indeed is remarkable that they are able to infuse such copious amounts of groove in their music which is unmistakably old school and not completely ruin it. Mostly it were the disillusioned bands of the mid/late ‘90s influenced by the hardcore scene that attempted something like this, and they lost not just the death metal authenticity in their sound, they lost all respect and standing in the scene. Inexplicable ageless studs Bestiar on the other hand are able to use it to their advantage by making their music sound different from that of the others and by making the wiggers and stubborn old farts alike stomp their feet in unison to it.

Bestiar's well-structured songs seem to have been written taking the groovy parts well into consideration for they never seem out of place. The nature of that contentious chug/groove varies depending on the situation but more often than not it brings old Jungle Rot and Benediction to mind and also a bit of Baphomet. Chock-a-block with locomotive chugs and hefty grooves though the songs may be, they don't get superfluous because they are always kept in check by thoughtful old school parts, expertly paced, and occasional exquisite probing leads that more often than not have an ethereal quality to them. All the variations are effected steadily into their vigorously bobbing music without any significant disruption in the momentum. Warm, balanced production that supports the heavy chugging moments just as well as the old school ones further lend to the album a comfortable, homely feeling. It is difficult to pigeonhole Bestiar's influences, as they are more than just a clone band and have superior songwriting skills, but they can be roughly likened to Hellhammer, Grave, Unleashed, Sinister circa Hate and even Broken Hope whose stumbling heavy parts punctuate their proceedings on a fairly frequent basis.

I have saved the most singular aspect of Lethal Venom for the third paragraph: the vocals. Although a man is credited, I have good reason to believe that a Pterodactyl is in fact invoked which swoops down on the microphone, screeching not shitting. Smoothly enunciated and well-timed, the tenuous rasps they have a fading quality to them which only affirms my detailed deduction. And even though vocals done by someone with manboobs would probably have suited their thumping music better, the bat-creature rasps aren't too disagreeable as they are refreshingly unique for this genre.

Lethal Venom is a quaint slab of old school death metal that is satisfying in more ways than one. Quite an unassuming band this for what it has achieved.

April 30th, 2007