For a band that so clearly seems based on novelty, Spain's Körgull the Exterminator have proven themselves to be far more than merely a tribute to early Voivod. The fivesome (now including Decapitated Christ guitarist Ghorth and Teitanblood's Javi Bastard on bass) haven't changed their sound very much since 2009's Dogs of War, still sounding like the Canadian prog/punk/thrash legends as channelled through 90's Norwegian black metal. First track proper Prophecy of Black Blood is even closer to the latter, a crushing gallop of destruction that lay the drums and riffs on you unmercifully, even the solo a cascading rush of brief euphoria. There is not much subtlety and nuance to be found here, aside from moments such as the oddly chilling acoustic guitar and neighing horses on intro piece Campanades a Morts that sets an uneasy scene for the oncoming battle. And the band are more than decent songwriters, making songs distinct from each other even as they share a generally violent nature.

For the most part, this is a raw bettering yet far from clumsily administered. The blackened intensity of the title track, suitably spiky and full of aggressive thrash riffs, is clearly from the same pen as Inquisitor Generalis with its infectious yet sort-of technical Voivodic riffing and the odd effects on Lilith Necrobitch's throat-scraping yowls. Despite being just as extreme a sort of metal as elsewhere, there's a real joyous power to the likes of Battle Ram, a sub-three minute stomper that contrasts well with the opening to the following slower, relatively measured The Black Goat of the Woods. There, we have something closer to 90s black metal in its ugly splendour, particularly when it kicks into squealing, speeding chaos less than a minute in, settling into something close to melodic black metal by its end. That melodic sense is reproduced on parts of Firing Squad mainly with its widdly leads, although the extended soloing on Follow the Flame certainly counts; yet both soon turn back to the ripping thrash at the heart of the band, as though the band could no longer resist its call.

The most 'progressive' song on the album is near-seven minute finale A Black Bird is Always a Warning, beginning with slow, almost martial drumbeats and building into a kind of thrashy pagan metal battler. And of course, the classic early Voivod sound in its most essential form is well represented on the brutal Dawn of the Extermination, downright gleeful as it spirals chaotically around whilst never quite losing control, often dipping into outright black metal but always swinging back into tech-thrash. It's perhaps not an easy album to recommend except to people who love both black metal and Voivod's earliest, most raw material - yet both are, of course, awesome, and Körgull the Exterminator clearly fit this category more than anyone. By fans, for fans? Sure, but also for those that like their thrash raw, nasty, and evil; another solid release from the Spaniards.