Artist: Chaos Regal
Album: Blackblood Breeds Blasphemy
Label: Vrykolakas
Release Date: January 23rd, 2023
Location: Singapore
Chaos Regal are one of those extreme metal bands where you can’t find out if they’re still active anymore, they don’t have socials and they only really have two songs out. Luckily for us those two songs absolutely kill and I’m personally glad that Vrykolakas was wise enough to re-issue the bands two track demo as an EP titled Blackblood Breeds Blasphemy.
I’m not going to lie, it was in fact the album art that drew me to this album, I mean look at it, its top tier extreme metal artwork. BUT, once I began listening to the music, I knew that I had stumbled across something special. This is raw unbridled death metal that draws heavy influence from the 90s OSDM scene but with some added dissonance. It’s not just the music itself, but the production too, with a sound that I guarantee fans of the style will appreciate.
The drum work on the release is absolutely furious and actually sits at the forefront of the mix for much of the album. Sometimes I feel as if this can ruin a release but in this case, it actually works, given the brutality and ferocity on display. It’s an unrelenting maelstrom of endless pounding and clanging. His prominence shouldn’t come as a surprise though, given that the band’s drummer, Fauzzt, is a Singaporean veteran, having been in numerous projects and even playing live for Wormrot. Backing this up is the guitar, which presents us with solid OSDM style riffage, working in a few subtle effects and a solid balance of technicality and aggression. Bass wise this is the only real let down for me, I can tell it’s there but it just gets buried in the mix, if it was given a little more room to breathe I think it could have really shone.
Lastly, we have the vocals, for which we have Iman (formerly of Vrykolakas) to thank. These are powerful guttural vocals that have a raw, somewhat cavernous edge to them. They’re a key element in giving the album its signature menacing sound and the only element that really stands up to the drums in the mix.
Both tracks absolutely slay from start to finish, so I can’t really pick a favourite here. Having said that Blackblood Breeds Blasphemy gives us a fantastic blend between dissonance and subtle melody, presenting us with some very headbangable segments. Whereas, Blind Devotion showcases a little more experimentation and variety and works in some subtle, tasteful effects here and there.
Overall, I think this is a solid debut and I truly hope that the band put out more music. It would be a shame for a project with this level of talent to only grace us with a single album. If you enjoy death metal, particularly of the OSDM variety, but with a fair level of dissonance, then this will be for you.
Listen to and order the album:
Bandcamp
