Barbarian - Reek Of God

BARBARIAN have always worked from riffs outward, but here the method is ruthless. Ten central songs, no classic verse/chorus scaffolding, constant tempo and texture shifts, and a near obsessive density of ideas. The oft-quoted figure of 98 riffs is less trivia than diagnosis. These songs move by accumulation and collision, with mid ’80s death metal abrasion, punk velocity, and late ’80s extreme metal structure coexisting without settling into homage. The playing is sharp, hostile, and alert, with drums and bass functioning as equal architects.

“Maxima Culpa,” following the Ice-T lifted spoken intro “Warning,” establishes the record’s logic immediately with riffs cycling, mutating, and returning altered, while the vocals remain confrontational and unyielding. It is heavy metal driven by motion minus bulk hooks, though hooks still surface, often briefly, before being discarded. The songs are short enough to avoid indulgence and complex enough to reward repeated listening.

Lyrically, Reek of God is openly antagonistic toward religion and authority, but it avoids cartoon blasphemy. “Shit He Forgives,” adapted from Crass’ “Reality Asylum,” and “Crossburn” frame dissent as examination. Even the unexpected L7 cover, “Freak Magnet,” is reframed through atonal, Hellhammer leaning guitar work, exposing a shared ugliness beneath genre boundaries

The production is clean as fuck, letting filth and precision coexist. Reek of God is definitely not retro, far from progressive, and not ironic. It’s a record by musicians who understand heavy metal as a living system and treat it accordingly, cut down, reassembled, and weaponized to its fullest extent.

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SCORE 8.5/10

Words by LearnTwoExist

In collaboration w/ Headbangers Australia

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