The Conquerors of Armageddon

Krisiun is not a band that puts a lot of emphasis on experimenting or on trying to achieve a radically original sound. Instead, they just keep on honing their attack, focusing on making their music even faster and heavier (to the narrow extent that that is possible). Conquerors of Armageddon is their third official album, and it is basically just a bigger and (arguably) better version of what you hear on their first two: Morbid Angel-influenced death metal that overflows with blasting drumbeats, guttural guitar/bass riffs, growled-out vocals, and completely over-the-top guitar solos. For those keeping score, this album may not be quite as fast as Black Force Domain, their official debut, but it's still extremely fast. More importantly, though, the production is the best to date on a Krisiun recording -- it's fuller and more clearly defined than before, although still without being slick -- and the songwriting has also improved -- "Hatred Inherit," "Soul Devourer," and "Iron Stakes" are all expertly constructed songs based around massive riffs, ones that actually do bear a pretty clear Krisiun stamp (something not always true of their earlier work). This band has been pretty consistent as far as their first several albums go, but the improved songwriting and production make Conquerors of Armageddon an especially good introduction to their brand of punishing (if admittedly not all that varied) death metal. ~ William York