Germany’s Krater are a black metal bulldozer, a raging behemoth that will appeal to the death metal crowd as much as black metal types thanks to its richly orchestrated assault. The track we’re premiering today — “Lust to Burn” — is one of the most intense ragers I’ve heard in a while. It hits like a jackhammer and is thick — everything about it pummels the eardrums into submission with muscular production and layered acrobatic musicianship, and it does so at full throttle. The guitars sound miles deep, with blazing solos springing forth like sparks from a fire. The hefty and throaty low-end vocals are backed by a horde of rasps and screams; hyper-articulate militant drums are relentless and bowel-shakingly hefty. The cumulative effect sounds like a furious dive into the depths of the earth, pulverizing layers of rock and metal on the way down to where lava furiously boils and spits in the darkness. Germany isn’t typically the first country to come to mind when we think of black metal. “Lust To Burn” and Krater’s forthcoming Urere will perhaps change that — the album is a blast from start to finish. For now, we have the jaw-dropper that is “Lust To Burn.” Listen.

Urere by KRATER

Urere is out 2/26 on Eisenwald Tonschmiede.