I’ve been absolutely possessed by thrash lately. First I reviewed the new Insane. Then I reviewed the new Nekromantheon. A posthumous release from Gary Moore served as a palette cleanser before exploring high speed offering of the week #3, Bunker 66’s Beyond the Help of Prayers. 2021 hasn’t been nearly as fruitful a year for blackened thrash and speed as 2020 was. The only releases I’ve reviewed in the vein thus far are Demiser’s Through the Gate Eternal and Bewitcher’s Cursed Be Thy Kingdom. It’s nice to have another album in this evil niche cross my path.
Considering both of the albums I just mentioned got 9 out of 10 ratings, one might assume I had high expectations for this album. You’d be wrong. No matter which band or album I’m reviewing, whether I’m a fan beforehand or not, I go into the task with zero expectations. In the case of Bunker 66, this was my first time listening to them. What immediately grabbed my attention is that they’re signed to none other than Dying Victims Productions. If you’ve been keeping track of this site, you know that historically speaking, if it’s released on Dying Victims, it probably rules. Beyond the Help of Prayers is no exception.
Bunker 66’s brand of blackened thrash tends to lean more on the thrash side than the black. There are moments throughout that the opposite is the case. For example, “The Blackest of Omens” (an appropriately titled track) opens with a dark, Mercyful Fate style passage before switching over to thrash metal overload, but these moments are far and few in between. The music within Beyond the Help of Prayers can best be described as “Venom meets Show No Mercy era Slayer at a Discharge concert”. The punk elements aren’t nearly as dominant as other blackened thrash/speed bands, but they’re present in the d-beat drumming and mid tempo riffing of tracks like “The Rite of the Goat”, “Summon the Evil Lords”, and especially “Die on Monday”.
Beyond the Help of Prayers is not without its surprises. My choice cut, “Malicious… Seditious…”, is a blackened hard rocker with a cowbell fueled groove and an infectious lead riff that lies somewhere between Thin Lizzy and Danzig. I guess it’s what the metal aficionados of the world would label “black n’ roll”? The closing title track throws yet another curveball. Most bands save the fastest for last. Not Bunker 66. “Beyond the Help of Prayers” is a slow, menacing, blackened doom dirge that recalls the heydays of Black Sabbath and Hellhammer. The tortured riffs and vocals work together in creating an impactful end to a rip roaring album.
I could be wrong, but I think I’ve yet to give any Dying Victims releases a rating of less than a 7. When it comes to Beyond the Help of Prayers, I’m pretty comfortable giving it a 7 as well. It’s not memorable enough to warrant a higher rating like the latest from Demiser and Bewitcher, but it’s a lot stronger than most in the black/thrash/speed realm who have a tendency to phone it in. Contrary to what you may believe, this genre is about more than playing rehashed Venom riffs at breakneck pace. You’ve gotta have the guts and nuts to stand ahead of the pack. Bunker 66 has both in spades.
7 out of 10
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Aura Noir, Cruel Force, Venom