Not many things are known about the Florida based black metal war machine Ara Subversor, their (fairly short) debut in 2023, Vow of dominion, went completely beyond me. Such a shame actually, because their recent extended play Retribution fits right up my alley.
Just shy of 19 minutes they deliver a wave of aggression. With a short intro that just consists of many guns firing, this sets the mood and expectation. Then unleashes the full power of the title track Retribution. Extreme fast blastbeats (around 250bpm after tapping in a metronome app) with aggressive riffs that build tension. It feels like a continuous engine that does not hold back on the throttle.
It reminds me a lot of Belphegor, Mor Dagor, old Dark Funeral and above all a Polish band and album I discovered almost ten years ago; Infidel – III (look it up on BMP, it’s great). The great defined snare drum, hearable but harsh guitars and the power of the vocals. The feeling of being a part of an endless war machine, please call for some help for my neighbours as this will shake their walls for a long time.
This is not an EP for everyone, you need to enjoy a continuous wave of aggression and tension that keeps on lingering. Trying to keep the attention of the listener while being an almost constant wave of energy is difficult, but this ticks the right boxes for me.
Ara Subversor – Retribution is a great EP. The one thing that annoys me is the fact that they have a cover included. Gehenna’s Birth of vengeance is included on the EP. They perform it great and in style of their music, but the decision to include a cover on an EP (and generally I am against releasing covers) seems like a waste of space. I would prefer they took longer to release something but everything is made by themselves.
Concluding: Ara Subversor is an entity that earned a spot on my radar. They tick the boxes of extremity, speed and harshness. But do not be mistaken: this is not an easy (sub)genre to accommodate.
85/100
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