Vivé le France part deux? See I just finished a review for fellow countrymen Mercyless,  and their recent Those Who Reign Below album,  and who could probably arm wrestle Loudblast for the notoriety of the first French Death Metal band. However according to Metal Archives, Loudblast is the first, so I don’t fucking know and it’s apples to apples at this point because both of their albums come out on the same day.

Oddly enough, I discovered both bands on the same day when I picked both up at the local store all the way back in the 90s. When I pushed play on Abject Offerings and then Sublime Dementia I realized that the gap of difference was vast. Mercyless captured the brutality of Morbid Angel and the Florida scene while Loudblast took a more European approach with nods to Gorefest, Autopsy, and Grave added to their sound.

Loudblast is in groovy form in 2024. Altering Fates and Destinies is an organic effort, which isn’t taking away from the brutality of the proceedings in any shape or way, it intensifies the experience and adds an earth tones overlay as heavy as the earth itself. The record leans a bit more in a Dark Tranquility meets Night in Gales direction and it uses their weapons to devastating effect.

Beginning with “From Beyond II (The Return)” Loudblast is on point, it’s a Lovecraftian ode that kills with each scything riff. Hard hitting drums meet up with the slashing guitars and propels the track forward, heralding a captivating return to form. The beating continues with the lumbering beast that is “Putrid Age of Decay”, this is such a heavy track and an even heavier album because of it. Each song is like a cog in a gigantic metal monster and I’m here for every minute of it.

When I saw that Loudblast was releasing a new album on the same day as Mercyless I was beside myself with unholy glee. Two of my favorite Death Metal acts from the 90s, laying waste to the Metal community once again.

The production is almighty, Altering Fates And Destinies was produced and mastered by HK Krauss at Vamacara Studios. Like I said before it’s an organic production, every instrument is mixed perfectly to ensure maximum punishment. Which is the ultimate goal, right? Loudblast use time changes like blades, one second it’s a brutal beating with precision blasts. “Crystal Skin” is a good example of the Melodic Death Metal power that they meter out, there’s a killer solo at the 2:20 mark that’s on a whole other level. “Miserable Failure” is another favorite track, it’s just bludgeoning riff after bludgeoning riff that erupts for a few minutes before returning to a crushing double bass delivery.

With ten tracks (the last three being bonus tracks) it’s a bit daunting, but well worth the length, the songs stay to five minutes so you get a nice, 43:30 minutes of quality French Death Metal. “He Who Slumbers” is another ode to Cthulhu and it’s suitably heavy enough to be able to envision the Elder God moving through the ocean and it flows effortlessly into the next track “Son of Nameless Mist”. Launching with some light acoustic guitar before it rolls slowly, perfect for slow head banging when your neck is sore as a motherfucker.

“Dark Allegiance” is another slow-burning pounder, and the tempo changes from the slow grind to some quick blasting that keeps it going strong. “Inhale the Void” is a slow-burning fuse with a swinging midsection. “Cursed and Veiled” is a trip into insanity, and the mighty “Fortress” finishes the album out in triumphant fashion.

“They’ll Never Catch The Glint of Sunlight Again”, “The Path To The End” and “Forbidden Pleasure” are the bonus tracks and they are fucking heavy. Three Death Metal monsters that compliment the album (special edition, anyone? ) “Forbidden Pleasure” has a bit of a Destruction “Reject Emotions” feeling to it with the ending riffs.

Altering Fates and Destinies came out on the same day as the new Mercyless. After spending time with both French powerhouses I have decided that I can’t say one is better than the other. Mercyless is the more brutal of the two; Those Who Reign Below is a bristling Death Metal machine while Altering Fates and Destinies is the Melodic Death Metal counterpart and both are unrelenting on their own merit. So, constant reader, I urge you to get both. Loudblast has come back from beyond to kill your soul.

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