Impaled Nazarene
Pro Patria Finlandia

August 2006
Released: 2006, Osmose Productions
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Waspman

Hard to believe it, but here we are in 2006 and Finnish scene-killer Mika Luttinen (aka this time around being Sluti666) is back with his Christ-bashing lunatics for the 9th time! Yep, PRO PATRIA FINLANDIA is Impaled Nazarene’s ninth full-length release (11th overall, excluding demos and splits) and the band remains just as caustic and hateful as ever.

This many albums into their career, you would not expect too many wholesale changes to the ImpNaz sound, and true to form, there are no huge surprises to be found. PRO PATRIA FINLANDIA is more blisteringly fast blackened thrash with the usual outrageous lyrics focused on war, hate, misogyny, and other assorted family-oriented topics. Perhaps the difference this time out is the sheer catchiness of some of the early songs on the album, with the first four being the best, even though all of them blaze along at the same speedy clip.

A brief melodic instrumental respite arrives with “Leucorrhea”, before the band crushes your head in a blazing finish for the final half of the disc. Unfortunately, the usual complaint levied against ImpNaz is applicable here as well – after a while, it all starts to sound the same as each riff blends into the next and Luttinen’s croak fails to vary between songs. Still, this is an entertaining ride overall, and as usual is wisely kept brief (under 40 min.). Fans can buy the album with confidence, but new converts to the cult are unlikely.