Iscariah is not a newcomer to the world of metal; after all, the bugger was on Immortal’s last two records playing oft-inaudible bass, as well as the more bass-aware black metal troupe Wurdulak, who added, if nothing else, another couple of metal albums with a ravaged nun on the cover. He’s also been in Necrophagia, but then that’s not something upon which I would be quick to throw accolades. Still, he’s seasoned, but he’s never put out his own material until now, this re-issued debut for Century Media  (the album was originally released back in 2007 by Dark Essence Records) complete with a silly typo right on the cover. The only other “renewance” in popular (or arguably any) culture is an anti-aging cream or gel or some such. I can only assume Iscariah is referencing that product, and will continue said assumption for the remainder of this review.

First Strike for Spiritual Anti-Aging Cream whirls through nine tracks of zombie-raising hell on earth blackened thrash that many of us have heard before from like, I dunno, a bazillion other bands not named Dead to This World because the competition thought of better names first. Further adding insult to injury are the Satan-lite song titles: “Unholy Inquisition?” “Shadows of the Cross?” Fucking “Goatpower?” You read that one right. “Goatpower.” Iscariah fuels himself with the first Satanic resource ever. Presumably that’s what drives his sled or whatever newfangled transportation the Norwegians have at their disposal.

I guess I can’t be too surprised by a little infantilism in a debut black metal album like First Strike for Spiritual Murphy’s Bath Butter for Wrinkling Skin. And one can’t necessarily focus on lyrical pariahs like the ones present on this release when considering black metal’s major tenets: after all, hating on Jesus and raising the dead aren’t exactly new ingredients stirring up the black metal pot. So, Dead to This World must rely on songwriting skills to reel in a finicky listener like me.

They do. And they don’t.

The short bursts of brilliance on First Strike for Spiritual Procter and Gamble Facial Revitalization Agent are in the infectious riffs mixed over earth-plowing drums, particularly evident in “Into the Light (Baphomet Rising)” and “Hammer of the Gods,” though the spirit in those riffs don’t resonate through the entire song. The most disappointing feeling in music is a song’s ability to capture your attention at the beginning and manage to shake that enthusiasm off your mind by the halfway point. Most of Dead to This World’s material consist of this “halfsie” songwriting, made more unfortunate knowing the pedigree of black metal bands from which Iscariah was tempered.

First Strike for Spiritual Insert Old People Joke Here isn’t a throw-away CD by any stretch, but Dead to This World have got to get their act together for the next album unless they want to be buried by the competition (and time and dust, of course).

[Visit the band's website]

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