Ravager
Naxzgul Rising

August 2004
Released: 2004, Osmose
Rating: 3.3/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

Immediately after NAXZGUL RISING was released, Mexico’s Ravager broke up. With only two releases under their belts, the band has moved on, while two of its members have focused their attention on the side project, Hacavitz. Fortunately, these hombres left a nasty welt with NAXZGUL RISING because this CD is HEAVY!!! Devoid of any melody and with the vocals barely audible behind the chaotic music, this brutal death offering is not for the faint of heart. War, mayhem and Satan are on the lyrical menu and while NAXZGUL RISING is not original, groundbreaking or commercially viable, it will tear your face off and leave a boot in your teeth.



Huge drums and guitars pepper the opening cut, “Nuclear Vomiting Warcraft” and do not let up for a second. Samuel Olvera’s squealing solo and Oscar Garcia’s mile-a-minute feet are definite highlights. Many of the songs bleed directly into the next track so the pacing is kept up for the full 48 minutes. While the brutality is relentless, “Crest Fallen of Divinity” opens with a doom-like riff and continues on for half the song at this pace, before opening up the floodgates once again. Garcia’s frenetic footwork impresses once again on “As Shadows Corrupted” with speeds that would humble the double bass gods.



Fast, heavy, brutal—three words that perfectly describe this slice of Hell. Too bad Ravager decided to pack it in because if NAXZGUL RISING is any indication, these guys were just getting started. One positive note is that we can still look for half the band at least in Hacavitz.



KILLER KUTS: “Nuclear Vomiting Warcraft,” “Crest Fallen of Divinity,” “As Shadows Corrupts”