When I got this promo I did not recognize the logo but the name seemed familiar. Upon looking them up it turns out they are from Israel, though the members are Russian. I rifled through my collection and came up with two albums of basic Hellhammer/Celtic Frost worship, done with unequal parts alcohol and inspiration. So my expectations were not all that high for spinning Justus Ex Fide Vivit for the first time. On the surface Tangorodrim is just another bash and bellow band. Start out each song with a gurgled scream, and some feedback to give it a recorded live feel, then add blastbeats, slow guitars, guttural shouted vocals, throw in some Tom Warrior grunts and repetitive chugging guitars on the slower songs and it is still just another bash and bellow affair, pass the beer. The standard way to end each song is to just pull the plug. This album is not awful, but boring as hell, or is that boring as heaven. If not for the need to review it I would not have bothered to listen to this all the way through to the inevitable monotonous ending. I would have, for example, missed the moaning in the middle of the plodding title track. There is always room for another metal band, but some are destined to stay local, and only be an opening act, especially those that spend more time drinking than practicing. If you picked up either of the two previous albums, or both as I did, there is no reason to grab this one. If, like Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm you are compiling the master collection of metal bands, by all means add Tangorodrim’s Justus Ex Fide Vivit. The Brothers’ Grimm opened the floodgates to collecting every last folktale of Europe regardless of quality, which was obviously a good thing for all would have been lost forever otherwise. Hellhammer/ Celtic Frost opened similar floodgates, Tangorodrim deserves to be collected for similar reasons, but there are thousands of underachieving ashlads out there that have disappointed their parents, but unlike many we know these guys did not outwit any trolls along the way. I just listened to Unholy Metal Way, Those Who Unleashed, and Justus Ex Fide Vivit back to back to back. Now I am in the mood for some Warhammer, the one true homage band.

Grimulfr

[Visit the band's website]

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