Rating: 7.0

Country: Puerto Rico

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Rusty Axe Records

Track list:
1. Church Arsonist
2. F�r Diejenigen, Die Vom Kriegsraben Gerufen Wurden
3. As My Thoughts Hit Like Thunder Over The Realm Of Zion
4. Ecclesiae Iudaeorum Tota Facta Est Sicut Cinis
5. Hyperborean Soldier
6. Disturbing The Quiet Waters Of The Heaven's Lake
7. Illa F�ra De Sathanae
8. The Last Soul That Was Born Of Pagan Fire


Band Website: Godless

Godless - Church Arsonist

Der Wüstenfuchs - Vocals
Embalmer - Electric and acoustic guitar
Commander Asaradel - Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keyboards and Dictatorship

Godless is the oldest black metal band from Puerto Rico and that fact alone will probably draw most cult-loving black metal fans to this release like moths to a flame. Of course, while a bands physical location might attract attention, it is the quality of their music which must ensure that it is held. And while Church Arsonist is certainly not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, it doesn't quite reach the heights of grim excellence that is required for a black metal act to separate itself from the seething mass of similar bands filling every corner of the globe in this day and age.

What we have here is an energetic and somewhat dynamic take on early Burzum, peppered with some blunter moments evoking Gorgoroth circa Under the Sign of Hell; for more modern comparisons, they fall into the same category as bands like Bilskirnir, Satanic Warmaster, Ohtar and Sargeist. Playing in a mostly mid-paced tempo, employing plenty of down tuned riffs that point in a melancholic yet triumphant direction, with some catchy lead-guitar hooks and acoustics, occasionally broken up by faster, more violent, droning sections, Godless go through a rather varied set of songs that has both virulent anti-christianity/judaism as well as the second World War as its main themes. The guitar-playing itself is pretty damn tight, the drumming is semi-competent (thankfully the amateurism of the drumming is endearing rather than irritating), and the vocals are basically Varg. The production is very rough and more than a tad muddled, but not unlistenably so, especially since the mixing has been very well done, with the guitars taking clear centre stage, and the drums and vocals serving as backdrop, as it should be. The songwriting itself is, well, typical of this type of black metal, although it neatly avoids the trap of being too cyclical or overly minimalist; it has a slightly more narrative flow than most black metal of this type and there is a fine sense of dynamics, flow and variation evident. Also, one cannot help but move along to the music, as it's pretty damned catchy.

It's a shame then that it doesn't really distinguish itself from the Burzumic template other than just being very good at what it does. Had they released this earlier in their career (they've been around since '89 apparently) this would have been amazing, but now it just doesn't have the impact it could have had. If you're the type of metal-head who just can't get enough of old-school black metal, this is easily recommended, since they easily achieve what they set out to achieve with style and passion; if on the other hand, your collection numbers close to a thousand albums and you've had your fill of this style, than this will not do anything for you and you might as well save some money and listen to Det Som Engang Var instead. With that in mind, I'm going to give them a well-deserved seven out of ten, for being very good, but not breaking any new ground whatsoever.

June 24th, 2007