Black Force Domain

This Brazilian trio's official full-length debut, Black Force Domain came out in 1995, at a time when the first wave of death metal was in the midst of a lull, both popularly and creatively. While not too widely heard at the time, Black Force did help place Krisiun among a new breed of bands -- Cryptopsy, Nile, and Angelcorpse, among them -- who would, over the next few years, breath some new life into the genre by pursuing new extremes in speed, physical stamina, and overall heaviness. For their part, Krisiun is not so important for being innovative -- ultimately, they're really not -- but instead for their completely over-the-top obsession with speed and brutality. True, the material is heavily influenced by Morbid Angel and Slayer, the riffs aren't especially groundbreaking, and the songs show little variety. However, that's basically beside the point. It's the actual execution -- marked by almost inhumanly fast drumming and maniacal guitar work (especially the solos) -- that sets this stuff apart from so much other death metal. This album is not for everyone, but those who are predisposed to the "joys" of this kind of aural punishment will sense in Krisiun a rare commitment to (or again, obsession with) their craft that makes Black Force Domain stand out, even if the sound quality isn't quite as good as on the band's later albums. ~ William York