Over the past few days, I spent a good deal with Barbarian’s (Italy) third full-length album Cult of the Empty Grave. Looking for something to match my mood, this thrash and black metal band couldn’t have better fit my current disposition. Barbarian are an aggressive bunch, with the sole intent of delivering a fiery tornado of thrash, black, and speed metal that is no doubt heavy at the core.

Prior to listening to Cult of the Empty Grave, Barbarian’s music had not crossed paths with me only until now. But I am sure as hell glad they have. The opening track Bridgeburner is a heavily pounding opener. The thrashy and black side of the band is immediately evident, but heavy metal radiates in the veins of Barbarian without question. Whores of Redemption is a destructive track that follows, one I found myself returning to quite often, for its venomous sound. But amidst all the chaos this band can really stir up, there’s plenty of catchy moments, like the simple heavy riff from the title-track Cult of the Empty Grave that is very easy to revisit countless times over.

Absolute Metal is the true powerhouse track on Cult of the Empty Grave. The song is the speediest of the bunch, with superb drumming and hostile guitars that will create a lightning storm of metal. One thing for certain is that Barbarian’s third album was easy to love, only heightening my curiosity to give their earlier albums a listen. Cult of the Empty Grave is fast, ruthless, and inflicts some seriously brute metal on the ears. It's definitely worth any metalhead’s time.