Artist: Dreadful Relic
Country: Greece / USA
Label: Frost & Fire Records / Nuclear War Now! Productions
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2025
Despite the mild controversy surrounding Dreadful Relic, I have considered this band to be a prime Nuclear War Now! Productions-king of band from the very beginning. Not because of those discussions, but purely based on the musical content of this predominantly Greek band. With the release of the ‘Archaic Conjurations’ demo tape in 2014 and the subsequent EP ‘Warlords Of Cosmic Sovereign’ a year later, the band firmly established itself in the Hellhammer/Celtic Frost corner of First Wave Black Metal. They have never relinquished that position, and it is also evident on this second album.
In 2023, the ‘Archaeomania’ demo tape gave us a sneak peek of what was simmering in the kitchen. Fans of their earlier work were immediately reassured, because despite some personnel changes and even a death of a band member, Dreadful Relic still sounded just as much like themselves as before.
This means that ‘Ancient Obsession’ fully lives up to its name; it is a more than regressive exercise in how to honour Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost without imitating them exactly. Unlike Apokalyptic Raids and Warhammer, Dreadful Relic knows exactly how to give the musical legacy of the Swiss icons a new twist. With a dash of Bathory and a pinch of Venom, the ingredient list is complete and served with a harsh vocal topping. As such, Dreadful Relic fits seamlessly into the legacy of Nuclear War Now! Productions from approximately a quarter of a century ago, a period when bands such as Cult Of Daath helped define the label’s sound.
Dreadful Relic’s back-to-basics approach not only harks back to bygone days, it also amplifies the impact of all the individual riffs, which are often milked endlessly and culminate in that delicious Hellhammer vibe. It proves once again that in many cases less is more; the power of simplicity is often underestimated. Which, mind you, is not synonymous with poor musicianship, but rather with a profound understanding of song writing.
Fans of such bands as Sathanas, Pentacle, Usurper, Scythian, Cianide, Nunslaughter, Aura Noir, Incriminated, Dream Death, Goatlord, Demoncy, old Sodom, and of course Hellhammer should definitely give this a try.
