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“IX” is a legendary and incredibly powerful Black/Thrash Metal record from the Golden Age of Metal! Not for pussies! The Italian Black/Thrash Metal masters Bulldozer has been called almost unanimously Italy’s response to Venom. We would like to put that comparison to rest because Bulldozer blows the socks off of Venom on “IX”. Bulldozer do what most Venom worshipers did, but on this release they defiantly have more of an identity of their own. Bulldozer had more good albums, but none of those reached the quality of “IX”. Bulldozer albums prior to “IX” had suffered from a bad production. We know raw production adds to the Black Metal aesthetic but when the guitars volume changes when it is not supposed to it becomes an issue. The mix here is balanced and the production is still very raw. This allows the instruments to roar, but still be at the correct volumes. The music itself is much more thrash-sounding than previous efforts, but still manages to retain some black metal influences. A.C. Wild’s voice is evil and raspy as all hell, which makes for some great blackened vocals. The obvious highlights are “Desert!” and “Ilona the Very Best”. These songs are fairly complex, have great riffs, and awesome guitar solos, provided by Andy Panigada. These solos are fairly long by Black Metal standards, but we wouldn’t have it any other way, as they feel quite powerful and epic and really complete the songs. That with the “not metal” instruments often used give this album a unique sound. This is an album any Thrash fan, Black Metal fan or even Speed Metal fan, should own. If you’re already into these sub-genres, this is a great album, and a must have for your collection.