Band: BAALBERITH
Country: Poland
Title: Manhunt
Label: Godz ov War
Year: 2021
Style: Death Metal

Review:
Although the band's logo and a bit also the cover art of this debut album of their leads you (or at least me) to think you're going to be treated with some obscure Black Metal, the reality is the 5 piece band from the center of Poland founded in 2015 is pumping some really heavy, oppressive Death Metal, with occasional Black Death inserts indeed, but still Death Metal to the bone. Baalberith's sound is quite traditional to the style, mostly fast paced blastbeats lead, really really heavy and dark but with plenty of moments where the rhythms change into Bolt Thrower-like mid tempo or even sinister slower passages to enhance that obscure miasmic atmosphere it generates throughout the half an hour long album. The vocals are almost comprehensive growls, mixed upfront, quite monotonous at first but in the end actually defining the band's sound and making perfect sense; I was about to think it would be great to have some guests invited here and there, when the 5th track Day's Covered Eyes kicked in and where either they have a guest vocalist invited to do some grave clean vocals, or Left, the band's vocalist shows us some more of his abilities, in which case I hope he will deliver some more of these in the future just to keep things interesting (actually the track Son of Sam also has a few Black Metal-like vicious type of shrieks, and here and there a second line of vocals, in the background, help building up the tension). I like everything about this album and find it an absolute perfect debut, good job Baalberith, hope you won't take 6 more years for a follow-up.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 10/10

Contact:
facebook.com/baalberithpl
godzovwar.com