Aggressive Perfector – Come Creeping Fiends | Metal Territory

In 2019, English retro-metal maniacs Aggressive Perfector came out of nowhere to impress me with an ugly blend of classic ’80s metal, speed and almost-blackened evil called Havoc at the Midnight Hour. It was a lovable nostalgic trip through the early days of extreme metal, stealing body parts from Venom, Mercyful Fate and merciless thrashers like Rigor Mortis and Nasty Savage.

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It was rough around every edge, but it had the same obsession with the past as Deceased and made me love it. It took a while for these sonic scoundrels to return to the market with new material, but Come Creeping Fiends promises to turn everything up, from the debut, to 12.5 and then some. And in that, they don’t lie. This is another overblown dose in the name of unholy excess, and it sounds like a bunch of local bar bands covering early Venom material after far too many shots of Jägermeister. That’s good, right? RIGHT??

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If you like your metal loud, sloppy but strangely melodic and catchy, then you’ve found the right satanic piece. The opening track “Dead Undead” is a wild, hairy mix of Venom and early Mercyful Fate with a bit of Desaster crammed in to see if the blend explodes. And it explodes. This track is hairier than Steely Yours with a full winter coat, and just as aromatic. It isn’t far from Deceased’s usual production, and frontman Dan Chainsaw (formerly Dan Holocausto) sounds a lot like the legendary King Fowley as he roars, rages and vomits against the dying of the light (and the closing of the $8 All-You-Can-Eat buffet at King Egg Dynasty Kitchen). His vocal excess is excessive, and it’s set atop a strange collection of traditional, thrash and NWoBHM guitar passages without anyone stopping to think about how well or badly it fits.

You go from a Sodom or Desaster riff one moment to something from Motörhead’s Another Perfect Day era, and even though that hodgepodge seems off-base, it works, and the song is silly, flawless. “Strange Companion” sounds like a lost hit from Deceased, and I loved it the moment it hit my ears. It’s pompous but melodic and memorable, although you should never try to sing along with it in public, ever. “Fiend in You” keeps the strange times moving with a track that’s sexy and hard rock but wildly confrontational vocally. It reminds me of the days I worked for my older brother in construction during the summers in high school, and basically got yelled at for 10 hours a day. I love it anyway!

«Obscene Cult» robs Candlemass of the riff from «Bewitched» and recycles it for much uglier acts that come much cheaper than filth. You won’t be able to un-hear «Bewitched», so it sounds like some lunatic screaming over a song about satanic masses and corpse infection. «Harlot’s Curse» is the most ambitious track, as it throws most of its ’80s influences into the smoothie machine, hoping for a new taste sensation.

You’ll hear about 20 bands you know by heart in the riffs and song structures, but somehow all of it condenses into a functioning song of its own. The penultimate track «Return of the Axe» deserves special praise as the most frantic and unhinged track, thrashing and bashing through its full worth. It’s a silly but thrilling piece of caveman metal, and I can’t help but want to adopt it and raise it as my offspring. In a tight, outrageous 30 minutes, Come Creeping Fiends overwhelms you like an earthmover with nitrous. You’ll be flattened and you’ll enjoy it.

Aggressive Perfector make a crazy racket, and the best parts come from the guitar work of Dan Chainsaw and drummer/guitarist/keyboardist Intimidator. These goons are like a living codex of ’80s metal riffs and harmonies, and they chew up the old sounds into strange new patterns to create wildly entertaining melodies. The thrash leads are nice, but the classic metal lines are what really blow my mind. Every track has at least one riff that activates the teenage idiot hidden inside me, and I appreciate that. Vocally, Dan Chainsaw gives it everything, ending up in the nervous hospital with his crazy screams, scratches, roars and unusual attempts to “sing”. Medically speaking, the guy has a few screws loose in his tonsils, but wow, how fun it is to hear him go off.

Come Creeping Fiends take the debut’s template and weld it together with nails, spears and saw blades. It will harm everyone who listens, but in productive ways that build character. If you have friends who don’t love metal, trap them in an enclosed space and force this on them loudly as you watch their panic and terror. That’s the best in life! Let these creeping fiends in and see how it goes.