Deathsent Ceremony by Beatrix is as raw as it gets and reminds me of the time  when you’d receive a demo tape in the post from some far away country you found in the back of a fanzine. Basically, Deathsent Ceremony by Beatrix makes me feel nostalgic.

This might be because Beatrix remind me a lot of Venom. Whether that is a coincidence or by design, I have no idea, and even though there are other bands who shine through during the four songs on offer – such as Motorhead and King Diamond to name just two – there is a heavy dose of Cronos and the boys layered into the heart of Deathsent Ceremony. Mix this in with some blast beat black metal, along with some mid to late 80s thrash stylings and Beatrix offer up a dish that is quite unique, but might not be to everyone’s taste.

When I said at the beginning that this was raw, I meant it. The production is far from polished and, if I was to guess, was probably recorded in one room, either at a studio or during a practise. But I’ve always had a soft spot for records that sound like this as they always give you a closer idea of what the band delivers live, as opposed to a recording that has about 100 overdubs on it and so much shine added that the whole fucking thing glows in the dark.

This mood suits the subject matter on offer a lot better as well, with such topics as murder, hate, devil worship, hate, and the world succumbing to evil throught hate benefitting from the naked aggression approach a lot more than it would from a sound that had been reined in.

There are moments in Deathsent Ceremony that appear to be on the verge of falling apart, yet through some decent playing, and a steadfast refusal to give up the ghost, Beatrix manages to pull everything together long enough to produce an EP that will appeal to those among us who like their music a little rough around the houses, and those who appreciate their bands to walk a little closer to the ragged musical edge.

Head on over to the Beatrix Bandcamp page and check out Deathsent Ceremony for yourself.