Cyprus is on the menu again and extreme metallers Blynd are on the prowl and back from hibernation. It took them a while to return from the undead since their 2015 piece Liber Sum aired. Their last record already packed a mighty punch. Now, let’s see what they were up to for the last 9 years or so. Judging by the daemonic artwork, this is gonna be harsh and straight down into the blackened pit.
Blynd‘s lineup – surprisingly – survived the almost decade-long waiting loop. Only Andreas Hadjipandeli newly joined the band in 2022 on guitars. And that is quite a feat. Looks like the salty sea air in Cyprus keeps things in place and people in good metal spirits.
Unbeliever starts where the older sibling left off. Infernal celebrates this trademark thrashy Death Metal with a powerful punch. But hold on to something, once Between Two Worlds roars off, you’ll discover a heavy stomp worthy of the latter records of Rotting Christ. So, yes, the band won’t deny their roots but – instead – slammed a ton of heaviness on top of what was there before. The forays into Melodic Death Metal gained in intensity, too. A propensity to more melodics that somehow never gripes with the vile and thunderous soundscape manifested itself. And that – perversely – renders the whole piece much more accessible to the metal adepts of the light. Especially those wanting to explore the smelly underbelly of the metal multiverse.
And all of that grim brutality surges forward on an abundance of heavy chugs, subtle tremolos with a truly blackened taste, and wild solos that ring out from nowhere. Andreas Paraschos’ often daemonic multi-layered growls, the clears that join the gritty snarls, the hollers, and screams all add to the disturbing dystopian atmosphere that the band built to perfection. And to those who think that the drums on record won’t cut it, I suggest you talk to Alex Iacovou directly. This is a top-notch meaty performance, adapted to every nook and cranny of this complex offering. Finally we found ourselves a master of sticks who won’t try to kill us with never-ending tepid blastbeats and nothing much else.
And once the RMR crew thought they grasped the essence of Unbeliever, the band added a few more nuances. Quote: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face.” That’s pure Orwell starting off the track 1984. And – surprise – Blynd slams a good layer of Deathcore into the fray that feels like a sucker punch. And as pretty much everything on this record, this is yet again expertly executed. There’s more, of course. Until We Die turned into a fucking scorcher full of more core-ish aggression.
In other words, Blynd just injected a punkish element into their formerly ‘comfortable’ world of rough-hewn Thrash and Melodeath. But wait until you get to the last track. The eerie Ground Zero leads off with the haunting wail of Marilena Christofi. The soprano with the choir from hell sounds like a mix of Fleshgod Apocalypse and the score of one of those long-gone vampyre movies. And this comes amid a ferocious assault of a band going all out on their final mission.
So, let’s take stock here or this reviewer’s fanboy gushing will get out of hand. It appears that the 9 years of wait were truly worth it. Blynd easily surpassed Liber Sum and came out swinging at the other end with Unbeliever. This is one piece of excellent Extreme Metal that we didn’t quite expect this time. The band managed to join abject barbarous savagery with a knack for subtle melodics. It is a very dark and foreboding record, too. But one that bores forth on a neat production and an expertly integrated theme. It takes a lot of songwriting skills to write one firebrand scorcher after the other and not lose control of the mix.
Unbeliever is one helluva wild ride. A juicy, fire-dripping slab of metal that the RMR crew enjoyed from beginning to end. The question is, however, how will they ever surpass this on their next record? But that’s something we’ll worry about 10 years from now. If we’re all still there, that is.
Record Rating: 9/10 | Label: Pitch Black Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 7 June 2024