An unstoppable force, Nunslaughter may not release much in the way of full-length albums, but their back catalogue is certainly replete with EPs, the band having notched up well over fifty EPs, split albums, live records and compilation entries since forming in 1987. This latest effort, a four-track EP released on 7” vinyl (limited to a mere 200 copies via Hellprod Records, so be quick) features new recordings of classic nunslaughter cuts, tracked live in rehearsal with the current line-up of Don of the Dead, The mangler, Tormentor and Wrath. Complete with typically heretical artwork, antichrist sees the band at their irreverent, punk-infused best and is a must for collectors (there’s even a special, die hard edition of just 30 copies complete with all manner of ephemera).
The first track, god is the perfect entrée into this blistering EP. With bootleg recording quality, the guitars are a festering, muddy churn sitting under a layer of bowel-churning bass, with only the voclas emerging with any sort of clarity. Deeply unpleasant, the track is under a minute in length (which may come as a relief to some), the result a dirty, proto-thrash nightmare that is strangely compelling despite sounding like it was recorded from inside a kettle. The second A-side track, raid the convent is a longer, if no less savage, piece powered by pummelling percussion. There’s a purity to the recording that recalls the beer-fuelled, late night sessions if a teenage garage band and that slightly naïve approach to recording is particularly fitting here, effortlessly outclassing any number of well-produced but ultimately forgettable death metal efforts.
The B-side opens with I hate Christians, a short, sulphuric blast of primitive death metal that benefits from a tempo shift that sees the riffs gain in weight as they decrease in speed. It’s arguably the EP’s best track and comes complete with a scream-along chorus destined to inflame the mosh pit (and the authorities) when the band next tour. The final track boasts the controversial title smell the burning churches and is built around a dirty, barely tuned doom riff that worms its way deep into the subconscious where the primal urges dwell. No subliminal messages here, just a fierce exhortation to commit criminal damage in the name of metal and, with that, this most reprehensible of bands draws the EP to a close.
Dirty death metal, as raw and primitive as it comes, antichrist is a throwback to the days of tape trading when bands would regularly throw a few demo tracks on cassette and get them out to the fans via any means necessary. Utterly at odds with the modern day obsession with pristine production, the EP is a savage and utterly exciting throw back to a simpler, if more violent, time in death metal’s history. Definitely worth investigating for those who crave authenticity in their trawl of death metal’s darkest alleyways. 8.5
