Reverend Bizarre - II: Crush The Insects
Spikefarm Records - naula 066 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Long-time
Reverend Bizarre fans will be somewhat surprised with the tempo of the track that opens the Finnish true-doom titans' second full-length - 'Doom Over The World' has a beat you could actually headbang to without looking like you were repeatedly nodding off and jumping back to wakefulness while standing, as well as a doom-meets-NWOBHM-meets-
Status Quo vibe that, quite frankly, I did not see coming. Not that this is a bad thing, though - the boys from
Bizarre have never been ones to take themselves
too seriously (as further evidenced by Magister Albert's balls-in-a-vice screams at certain points in proceedings).
As the album progresses, however, we're back to business as usual. One of the truest strains of the
vinum Sabbathi, the troubled trio here even pay homage to 'Electric Funeral' at the end of second track 'The Devil Ride Out', and rework the central ideas from
Sabbath's self-titled track and re-shape them into the immense 'Fucking Wizard'. The way the tracks are ordered on the album is pretty clever, too - each track seems to get progressively heavier and slower then the last, giving the impression that the songs are bloating and gradually suffocating the listener. The 20-minute long single(!) 'Slave Of Satan's drawn out bass introduction has a menacing tone to it that is matched by the weight of the track, and who else but
Reverend Bizarre would, in this day and age, write a song called 'Cromwell' about the English Civil War?
The production is the group's best yet, drum hits pummelling like rocks from a slow-motion avalanche, tar-thick riffs cascading around the listener's ears like a flood of molasses. This is matched by the quality of the song-writing - the lethargic pace of the songs draws out the beats and strums, raising anticipation for the next crashing chord and knowing exactly when to deliver it. Overall,
II: Crush The Insects is yet another victory for the Finnish trio, and one that further cements their justly-won position at the top of the true doom league tables.
9.5/10
Official Reverend Bizarre Website
Official Spikefarm Records Website
