A lost cult gem! BLACK SHEPHERD is a Thrash Metal band from Belgium that was active between 1984 and 1989 (previously between 1983 and 1984 under the name BEELZEBUB) with several demos and only one full-length to their credit. BLACK SHEPHERD are part of that proliferation of Speed / Thrash Metal bands that sprang up in Central European areas in the second half of the 1980s. All bands that released one or two albums and then ended their activity to end up – initially – in oblivion and to become real cult bands with a new wave of attention to old forgotten classics. Certainly among the names in this sub-layer BLACK SHEPHERD is not the first one that jumps to mind – not so much because of the quality of the Belgian quintet’s work, but certainly because of the high number of releases and the very high quality of the same – but this new release from Vic Records will surely make you appreciate this fantastic band. “Immortal Aggression” was originally released in 1988 on the Belgian label Punk Etc and for the version under our lens, released in late 2023, Vic Records in fact restored and remastered the tracks, while also going on to change the original cover in favor of the back then rejected original cover. For those who had never listened to the album, it is a very good mix of European / German Speed / Thrash – reminiscent of bands like LIVING DEATH, VIOLENT FORCE, EXUMER, ASSASSIN – with some veins of an embryonic Death – in the style of SODOM or KREATOR. Unfortunately, after this first and only full length, the band released only the demo “Welcome” from 1989. The bonus track of this version of “Immortal Aggression” – ‘Little Bitch’ – is taken from that demo and honestly, listening to compositional quality, a sour taste remains for a career that ended too soon. Definitely a gem to be recovered for lovers of old school Thrash Metal. Go check the Vic Records page since they are releasing a lot of lost gems from ’80s / ’90s bands: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063485232579