Ghouls of Grandeur is a monstrous killing machine of a debut record. Comprised of members of IMMORTAL and DERIDE, Norway’s GRIMFIST thankfully do not sound like “another side project band.” This album is a full-fledged effort and it shows. They merge death metal, black metal, 80’s thrash metal, and 80’s traditional heavy metal into one high quality style. You’ll hear references to classic bands like SLAYER, METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST and even a touch of Vulgar Display of Power-era PANTERA. The keyword for this album is “aggression.” Ghouls of Grandeur has an unrelenting thirst for kicking the listener’s head in. And don’t get the band wrong; they don’t bore you to tears with the same blast beats or tempo for five minutes straight. They blast, thrash, and groove with the listener’s full attention in mind. Each of the straight-ahead songs contain a healthy amount of hooks and catchy vocal lines to thrash around to. Horgh puts on an immaculate drum clinic of speed, precision, and technique for all to worship. The jackhammer drums, grinding riffs and pissed off vocals are further amplified by Peter Tatgren’s total in-your-face production. The album is fun to listen to in the fact that it brings the instant gratification of no frills aggressive metal. GRIMFIST are successful in the fact that they succeed at exactly what they set out to do which is to create an instant adrenaline shot of metal. (Candlelight)