As if still possessed by the ritual that’d birthed them into existence United States-based quartet BALEFIRE let out a horrifying call before their brand of occult blasphemic death metal rains down its barbaric suppression fire. Consumed by their own malicious intent these folks’ve found a brilliant angle in matching eerily grooving atmosphere into seamless step with ‘old school’ ragged brutality on this debut 12″ mLP. As the band’s first step into the public ear ‘Balefire‘ is already fine work, bearing a distinct enough mark riveted across its short but riff intensive fifteen minutes.

All that we know for sure about Balefire is that they’re a death metal quartet which features Chuck Sherwood, a musician best known for his time in black/thrash act Blood Storm in the 2000’s as well as his work with Incantation since their great pivot beyond 2008. The only note that I’d give here is that lyrics contributed to other acts via Sherwood have always been brilliant, one of the main reasons I look forward to most anything they’ve released anything beyond ~’Profane Nexus‘. Otherwise I don’t recognize anyone else involved and I’ve no access to any additional credits, though I could safely assume they’re Pennsylvania based. The style here is death metal rooted in the increasing brutality fostered within middle of the 90’s with some black metal and bestial black/death inspiration taken in some of the riffcraft and rhythms.

The slurring downpour that rips from the middle of “Star-born Revolt” is the seller here on my part, the song to convince me the brains guiding us toward their primitive menace were worthy. While the opener presents the solid rhythmic foundation of the band up front the second song’s chasmic roll through its steadily slugging hits eventually reaches a downward marching hum, this’d impressed me outright per its brutally heavy downturn. In terms of the greater listening experience this moment was key to bringing me in for a closer listen alongside “Barbaric Rebirth” which likewise speaks the language of early 90’s blackened death metal while repeating some of the successes of “Star-born Revolt” in developing similar atmosphere at its mid-point. The effect is something spiritually along the lines of early Vital Remains or even the early-to-mid 90’s Polish scenes but without the relentlessly linear whip of those groups in hand. Transitions between both brutal, blackened and doomed movement are a major feature here and show some level of skill in every step taken.

Repeating the success of the two previous songs “Lord of the Red Lands” hits like an early Infester piece in some respect, reflecting a level of unhinged brutality while quickly pressing through its set of riffs ’til the eerie bass guitar tone creeps across the piece, redirecting its focal point. These songs are all simple enough in effect but not at all short on ideas, or the set of directions which they take within each piece. Overall I wouldn’t have minded if some of these songs were doubly long though I’d just as well have contained and more straight forward tracks like “Sands of Gemini” as the main focal point of any release. Unraveling the whole parchment wasn’t so obvious in this case but the result isn’t that far from expectations set on sight. While I’d enjoyed the pure death metal hammer of Balefire‘s work and found myself returning to it far more often than I normally would a ~15 minute record I’d nonetheless wanted some of their better ideas protracted more often overall but, either way it’d generated more spins on my end. A moderately high recommendation.

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