Bastard Priest – Doomed To Decay [EP]

During the resurgence of Old School-styled Death Metal in the late 00’s, Bastard Priest was a breath of fresh air. Most bands based their sound on the more predictable greats of the genre. On the one hand you had the bands with the typical Finnish and Swedish sound, on the other there was also a considerable leaning on the legacy of Incantation and Autopsy. Bastard Priest, however, had actually delved their sound much deeper into the Swedish scene. Like many Swedish Death Metal bands of the earliest 1990’s, this duo also drew their inspiration from old D-beat punk, a recipe that sounded fresh then and still does so anno 2024.

Although the band initially only released a demo tape (through the Blood Harvest sub-division Zombie Ritual Tapes) and two highly acclaimed full-length records before their untimely demise in 2013, the two got back together a few years later. Admittedly, their resurrection was unexpected, but the result was as if they had never left. The ‘Vengeance… Of The Damned’ 12” EP from 2020 even sounded, as the title somewhat hinted, like they were back to settle some unfinished business.

While both of the Bastard Priest’s albums went into the books as modest classics in the second wave Death Metal, the band’s second coming sounded at least as fierce. The powerful mix of classic brisk-sounding Swedish Death Metal with the fury and energy of British/Scandinavian Punk sounded as fresh as ever. And these two new tracks appearing on this ‘Doomed To Decay’ 7” EP sound just as boisterous with its flaming speed, barking vocals and deliciously chopping riffs. Bastard Priest is just being themselves here, bringing everything from the old tried and tested formula, but still they manage to make it sound crisp and alluringly catchy. I dare you to not like this.

The duo, still together since the band’s inception in 2002, did not reinvent their own wheels on this new EP, or the previous for that matter, instead they have proven to still be the very pinnacle of the genre-bending Death/Punk mishmash. And to further strengthen their musical identity, this precious little slab of vinyl is released through a Swedish Punk label.