A number of musicians from Spanish newcomers Krossfyre also play in that country’s Graveyard (there has got to be at least several Graveyards in the world of metal). When a few years ago I came across Graveyard’s EP The Altar of Sculpted Skulls I thought it was a well-done tribute to anything Swedish Sunlight Studios, along the lines of Dismember or Vomitory. Krossfyre on their debut Burning Torches, on the other hand, choose a different route to offend the ears. Donning leather jackets and bullet belts, instead of steady and muscular raw sewage they opt for cantankerous spewing and celebration of chaos.

Blackened thrash is an undisputed king on Burning Torches. The Spaniards love their leads, their arpeggios which will saw you in half, they will blast a little and smack you around a lot, only rarely finding an introspective moment (Tabellae Defixionum). Everything is electric on this EP, 1000V, this is a total explosion of pent up energy. Burning Torches is quick and orgiastic, even vocals suffocate on the words they don’t have enough time to spew. Songs like Black Jaws of Evil slide into dementia, Fire Solution and the title track also rush out uncontrollably first, before squatting down to deliberate. Only closer The Great Masturbator takes on the steadier songwriting approach, with more distinct and structured riffing.

Krossfyre does well not to overdo the chaos in their sound. By raising bass levels a little and not overindulging on the treble, Burning Torches gains manliness and avoids sliding into total inaudible mess. If we were to stick with Swedish references, old Tribulation, Nifelheim and Bestial Mockery provide more reference to the sound of Krossfyre than anything pure black or death metal. Raucous as hell, there is a smile and tongue-in-cheek (The Great Masturbator ?) lurking somewhere on Burning Torches. This may not be the most original stuff, but the dudes had fun putting it out.