Black Sun Brotherhood: God & Beast (2020)

 (42:06; Metal Blast Records)

Norwegian band BLACK SUN BROTHERHOOD is a unit that has been cooking for a few years, with sources stating that the initial incarnation of the band launched back in 2013. Following an initial EP in 2019 they launched their debut album "God & Beast" in the fall season of 2020 through German label Metal Blast Records.

My main initial associations when listening through this album properly is that this is a band that either know their Celtic Frost quite a bit, or that they are familiar with quite a few bands that explore the legacy of that band. The lead vocals are gruff, frayed spoken to shouted vocals in a manner perhaps more related to than directly similar to Tom Fischer, but most certainly with many similar features. There are some guitar details used throughout this album that I also associate more with Fischer than anyone else, and then going back to the earliest days of Celtic Frost at that. That being said, good old Venom were perhaps the inventors of this specific detail, and many other bands have used this wobbly end of riff melodic tail, if that description makes any sense to anyone.

Musically we are in landscapes rather more dynamic though, and less experimental too when it comes to that. A small handful of the songs apply a flowing, intense guitar riff construction that gave me instant associations to Soundgarden's classic song 'Jesus Christ Pose', but explored in a darker and more intense variety here. Groove-oriented riff constructions and pacefilled; dark, frayed and galloping riff and drum driven arrangements are used liberally throughout too, and more chugging, tight riff constructions with efficient use of impact riffs is another facet of this band's repertoire. In addition they will occasionally slow down to a more distinct doom metal style, and will also play around a bit in combining slow, sluggish riffs with pacier fills and vice versa. The guitars and the vocals are rather dominant throughout, with fine intensity and quality patterns delivered by the rhythm section. Fans of the good, old guitar solo may not find their cravings satisfied all that much on this occasion however.

The lyrics appear to be rather important for the band, whether they are made by the band, pulled from the works of various authors or, indeed, from the Bible. But even if some source material is pulled from this latter source, I rather suspect that this isn't an album to be marketed towards the christian market. That the concluding song is called 'Litanies to Satan' should be an indicator of just that.

The end result of this is an album filled with high tension, intense and energetic material. Perhaps closer to black metal in some ways, although I do see death metal being a phrase tossed around in relation to the band quite a bit too. If I should summarize my overall impressions, then I'd say that Black Sun Brotherhood sounds like a cross between "Eyes of Horror" era Possessed and classic era Celtic Frost, explored in more of a contemporary context that flavor the material with a wee bit of thrash metal and doom metal. All very well put together, with a strong mix and production as the icing on the cake. If this is a description that sounds alluring, chances are very good that you'll enjoy what this band has to offer. And to the joy of old school metal fans, a vinyl version of the album will also be available soon.

My rating: 80/100

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/blacksunbrotherhoodnorway
http://www.metal-blast-records.net/