Earlier this year Australian war lords Abominator released Evil Proclaimed (review here.) That album was the amalgamation of over twenty-five years of development as a band. It also was the band’s first full-length effort in nearly a decade. Evil Proclaimed was a mature release showing that a band could change very little while focusing and honing their skills to write brutally efficient and bewitching tracks of blackened death metal. Drawing on that upswing in recognition, Nuclear War Now! Productions took it upon themselves to re-issue Barbarian War Worship, a compilation of demo tapes. It’s a great history of one of the more unknown and underrated bands on the blasphemous scene that is blackened death metal and bestial/war metal.

Barbarian War Worship was originally released in 2010 and compiled both the 1995 demo of the same name and the 1997 demo The Conqueror Possessed. This latest re-issue includes bonus material studio sessions in 2000 and 2005 (the assumption being that material was left off Subversives for Lucifer (2001) and The Eternal Conflagration (2006) respectively). The result is a very complete look at the history of Abominator from 1995-2005; an entire decade of blasphemy, insanity and chaotic blackened death metal.

I should also mention that the tracks have been remastered for consistency of sound. Normally a huge problem with demo compilations, the sound across Barbarian War Worship is remarkably consistent making it feel more like an album than a compilation. The remastering results in a surprisingly thick and unmolested sounding version of the original tracks.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out Abominator before, this compilation is a great chance for you to sit down and get an idea of not only the progression of the band itself but also the progression of the genre (black/death metal which Ritual Grim and I think should be called Plague Metal). Although Abominator has been sequestered in Australia, they have had their fingers right on the pulse of the genre for over 20 years now. So definitely take a spin through the demo and then check out Evil Proclaimed to get an idea of what became of all their hard work.

– Manny-O-War

Barbarian War Worship is available 12.1.2015 via Nuclear War Now! Productions. For more information on Abominator, visit the band’s Facebook page.