I think there is a saying “Nothing new is old, nothing old is new”. Forgive me if I got that completely wrong, but when I listen to the latest release from Black’n’Roll purveyors HERETIC, that phrase immediately comes to mind. So, if you take a big part of VENOM, a tad of GEHENNAH, a smidge of MISFITS and a heaping of MOTÖRHEAD, your result from this cauldron of Metal is HERETIC. Also, a few bands are going under this band name (the L.A. based version immediately comes to mind), but that is a whole different argument. Hailing from the Netherlands, the guys have been kicking around and making their brand of particular noise since 1997. Needless to say, they have some street cred, you can’t say they are copying and or jumping on some bandwagon. Now you may ask “Are They Good?”, well dear reader, it depends on what you are looking for. Do you worship the above mentioned bands? Do you prefer tongue-in-cheek humor and a slightly juvenile lyrical approach? Do you want a quick, good time listen, while having a beer and hanging with friends? Then my friends HERETIC is for you. Those looking for philosophical lyrical compositions that make you think along with the subtle nuance and technical wizardry of musicianship, you may want to look elsewhere. I can imagine much of their music is great in a live setting and can stir up the mosh pit masses. The artwork and general imagery of the band harkens to a particular style (band) and probably gets some notice because of it. With 20+ releases, be it splits, EPs, etc. they must be doing something right and know who their fanbase is. Nothing to complain about, nothing to stand on the highest mountain to shout to either. Know before you buy. It’s there, it’s fun. www.facebook.com/hereticmaniacs, www.facebook.com/vanrecords