In a scene full of poseurs and one-uppers, it's refreshing to hear a band that does what they do without trying to pretend to be something they're not. Take, for instance, the raw, alcohol-fueled black metal of Israel's TANGORODRIM. Unlike the countless bands that still won't admit to having grown up on VENOM, here's a band that wears their black hearts on their sleeves, as can be seen on the infamous cover of their previous album, which is nothing more than a picture of someone holding a vinyl copy of HELLHAMMER's "Apocalyptic Raids". And much like the vast majority of Norwegian bands to come before them, the name of the band is lifted from the works of Tolkien (in this case, "TANGORODRIM" translates to "mountains of oppression").

So naturally, "Justus ex Fide Vivit" doesn't really hold any surprises. Throughout the near half hour duration of this disc, expect a full-frontal assault of crusty analog distortion, an overabundance of ear-grating feedback, unintelligible growling and classic black metal riffs with that ol' "brutality through simplicity" ethic. To add a bit of their own spin to the established template, however, their guitars are tuned down to B. This serves the slower tracks well, such as the title cut, giving them a slight doom tinge. The fluctuation of tempo, from the blast beat attack of "Cold Flame of Death" to the mid-pace 6/8 rhythm of "The Wolves are Also Coming", adds some well-needed song variety. Still, this is by no means an easy listen that has "fun for the whole family" written on it, nor is it meant to be. And to offer a bit of friendly advice, disregard the poorly-translated lyrics.

If anything, TANGORODRIM serves as a statement - as an equal and opposite reaction to their surroundings in the Holy Land. Even without this selling point, though, "Justus ex Fide Vivit" should still prove a worthy addition to the collections of those who still think black metal should be, as DARKTHRONE would say, "true, hard, raw and crusty."

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/tangorodrimofficial

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