One-man force LORD FOUL from Kentucky delivered some catchy lo-fi Black Metal back in the mid ‘90s. The pace and style of this band is pretty good but the performances (drums) are dodgy at times. That’s not to say the performances are not impassioned (even the drums), nor that the primitive recording isn’t effective at capturing an evil essence. What’s on display here is a commitment to the arcane art of BATHORY-worshipping Black fucking Metal. While the fast parts occasionally lose me, the slow parts have such fuzzy guitars that ZZ TOP ought to take notice! Also, the relatively short song lengths (around 2 minutes a piece) and simple arrangements hint of old Thrash influence, making for Black Metal without the yawn inducing atmospheric adornments so common today. This is a positive because short, tight songs rule and long songs can easily get boring in the wrong hands. www.myspace.com/lordfoul666, www.foreverplaguedrecords.com