In the preface of yesterday’s interview with Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton, I joked that we’d be reviewing some Scandinavian death metal in no time. I have to apologize, because our first review of the year is NOT Scandinavian death metal, but rather Scandinavian blackened thrash. You know, a different branch of the withered tree that is extreme metal. Hailing from Finland to be exact, Beatrix kicked off the new year with a bang, dropping their latest EP, Deathsent Ceremony, on New Years Day. It’s their first lone release of original music since 2021’s Claws of the Mantis demo, although they did team up with Japanese sleaze-mongers Abigail for the Sacrificial Black Metal Bitch split in 2023.
Like nearly every blackened thrash/speed band of this century, chances are you know how Beatrix is going to sound without even checking them out. I understand how some may view the niche as futile, wondering why even bother with any new purveyors of the sound when we’ve got classics like Sodom’s In the Sign of Evil (1985), Bathory’s self titled (1984), and so forth. As a diehard fan of the sound (first wave is the best wave), I always give these youngbloods a fair shot, because contrary to what some might have you believe, there ARE new bands out there giving a fresh spin on this ancient sound (i.e. Hellripper, Wraith, Bewitcher).
Beatrix are not one of them, but that doesn’t mean Deathsent Ceremony isn’t worth your time. From the opening seconds of the title track, it becomes apparent that Beatrix’s brand of blackened thrash draws heavy from the earliest days of Destruction and Bathory. The riffs are fast and devilish, with a hint of traditional metal melody scattered about. Considering Destruction hasn’t sounded like this in my lifetime and then some, I’ll more than welcome a band who taps that Sentence of Death vein. “Hatefed” continues the thrashing, giving off some serious Endless Pain era Kreator vibes and boasting enough nastiness to get the high-top clad crowd raging.
Straightforward and mid-tempo to the point of sheer predictability, “Torment of the Soul” serves as a sort of palette cleanse, easing on the tempo, save for its balls-out black metal outro. Compared to the first two songs, and the closer that follows, it’s a bit of a musical sore eye, but I understand the intention. Rounding it all out is the wildly frenetic “Zeraphine”. Chaotic and unhinged in its riffing and arrangement, one can’t help but draw comparisons to Japan’s black metal masters, Sabbat. If Beatrix were to go down the full length route, it’d be interesting to see them follow this path.
Deathsent Ceremony is far from perfect, but it ain’t the shabbiest blackened thrash to surface on this here webzine, especially considering the bedroom tripe that pops up when you type the “blackened thrash” tag on Bandcamp. With some finetuning in the songwriting and production department, Beatrix could became a major force in the first wave black metal worship world. Until then, we’ll patiently await, claws outstretched like that of the mantis.
6 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Destruction, Bathory, Sabbat (Japan)
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