There are not that much internationally known Metal acts from South Africa, but one of the most interesting ones is a pretty young act, Bloodbeast, formed in 2011 by some (current or former) members of Bile Of Man, Demented Martyr, Fuck The Corpses, Architecture Of Aggression and Divine Plague. With gratitude to Infektion, Bloodbeast will be able to penetrate the metallic spheres of the Northern hemisphere.
I did listen to this record, before starting this review, a couple of times, and it really strikes me how it can be possible that such a young act sounds so professional and, moreover, so intensively cohesive. It sounds as if these guys do perform together for decades. And as a matter of fact, only two of them (drummer Werner Labuschange and vocalist/ second guitarist Andre Diamond) did work together before (in Fuck The Corpses).
I am very pleased with the song writing as well. Bloodlust brings thirty minutes of timeless and universal, non-exaggerated and grooving Death Metal with great influences from Thrash Metal and Grindcore. It’s a primal expression of brutality (i.e. the gore lyrical approach), yet with a most technical oriented execution, leaving room for own elements; and with more than just an accidental couple of details reminiscent to the likes of, let’s say, Death, Nocturnus (yet without the keyboards; listen, for example, to certain riffs and structures in Merciless), Krisiun, Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse, Vader or Morbid Angel, besides some of the members’ past collaborations, evidently.