Working class Death Metal”. “Political correctness must come to an end” Time has come to balance the scales”

So say Infidel Reich an SJW baiting band from both sides of the Atlantic. Archeron founder and vocalist Vincent Crowley and ex Asphyx alumni Guitarist Tony Brookhius and drummer Bog Bagchus. They are joined by a gent called McNasty to celebrate their love of 80’s and early 90’s bands like Carnivore and SOD. Combining two words that they feel will trigger the left leaning folk of the world these middle-aged white men are standing up for their poorly represented minority. Thank fuck hey? I was just thinking that what we need is some angry white guys to take on this genre which has been dominated so long by lily livered snowflakes preaching to the masses and normalising their ideas of equality and acceptance.  Ow my tongue is getting sore being this far in my cheek.

OK that’s the raison d’etre of these guys – gimmick or Farage on a Fender I’m not sure.  The question is does their Anti Antifa rhetoric get the feet tapping when added to music.

First track proper is the title one. It thuds along at a good pace whilst taking a pop at “Hippy fascists” who seek to impose their ideas on the masses through violence. It’s an interesting take on events around the world and one that continues throughout the album on tracks tackling gun control – “Gunzilla”, immigration “Killing Cultures” and religion “Quaranicide” and “Selling Salvation” .

I gotta say it all leaves me feeling a little uncomfortable – which I expect is the reaction that the band are looking for, to provoke and possibly shock. Crowley’s argument is that Christianity has been fair game for metal and punk for decades (as it is also is here on the aforementioned “Selling Salvation”) so why shouldn’t Islam come in for criticism and disdain in extreme music. In some ways, as an anti-theist myself I take the point. Should we not be equal in disdain for religion if we hold irreligious beliefs? However, there is also a thing about punching up rather than down.

When you live in an affluent democracy run by old white blokes it seems a little churlish and bullying to throw your insults down at those who are minorities in your country and face many barriers and hardships. Islamic terrorism – is it a good thing. No fuck those guys. But the fella who sits near you at work and plays on your five a side team – his folks are from Bangladesh. DO you mean him when you throw down hate? “Bring forth Quaranicide. Burn that book” “We give then a home they spit in our face” “Now is the time to get the fuck out”

I dunno guys. I am getting a real feel of Skrewdriver and Brutal Attack here.  Saying “They call us racist but that is a lie” sounds a bit like – some of my best mates are black.

The music itself is OK – in fact that is not fair – it is pretty good. Very punked up metal bit like Motorhead, Carnivore, Discharge and Entombed rolled into a MAGA pamphlet and shot out of Katie Hopkins arse.  Reich and Fucking Roll starts like a Motorhead classic and rumbles around and does the annoying recent trend of basing the lyrics on other songs. “The Ace of Spades is up our sleeves. We’re born to raise hell with an iron first”. Oh please give it over son.

“Selling Salvation “is a corker of a track mind. Built round a Sabbath riff it is a crunching doomy slab of dirty metal very reminiscent of Pete Steele’s days behind the loin cloth.

“Victim Inc” see’s Infidel Reich take part in the new internet sport of Millennial baiting – the hipsters must be happy that they are off the hook now.  Isn’t whinging about “snowflakes” just as bad all the original whinging in the first place?  Anyhoo the music is OK. Pretty generic thrash but the drum sound is good.

“Hymn to Victory” hits another current trend for us older folk – bring on your old mates to call out the snowflakes.  Kim Lee from Massacre, Mike Browning (Nocturnus AD) Dave Ingram (Benediction) Wannes Gubbels (Pentacle) plus 6 more from Sinister, Thanatos, Brutality and others all join in the chest beating and tough guy posturizing. It’s pretty comical and cartoonish but not necessarily in a bad way . It kind of sounds like a really heavy Bad News with a cod pantomime villain telling us to “open the door and let yourself in”.  They have also included a version of the song with just Crowley singing. I gotta say I prefer this one over the cut and paste vocal smorgasbord of its predecessor.

There is something disconcerting about the words HAIL and REICH being used together whilst moaning about foreigners. It smells a bit of failed Austrian artists who like dogs.

Do I believe Infidel Reich are Nazis? Of course not. Do I have a problem with everyone’s dodgy Uncle Clive’s views and the Daily Mail being set to a heavy metal soundtrack?

No not really. Censorship is shit. If the current crop of Kerrang cover stars are the whiny millennials ordering craft beer at the bar then Infidel Reich are the grumpy old gits hid behind a copy of the Sun telling no one that the old days were much better.

Life’s rich tapestry hey?

(4/10 Matt Mason) 

https://www.facebook.com/infidelreich

https://helterskelterproductions.bandcamp.com/album/reichenstein