Dark Impaler is a black metal band from Germany. The band released their very first EP, entitled Maximum Hatred, in July 2025 in digital format. And on 22 February, just a few days from now, the band will re-release this EP in digipak CD format via the Fetzner Death Records label. In the following lines, I will talk about this EP and the moments that particularly caught my attention.
So Maximum Hatred is a six-track EP with a total running time of 26:51. The German band presents a style of black metal based on two different approaches. The first is based on heavy tempo black metal, carried by controlled sonic violence and enriched with death metal elements (at times, I even felt like I was listening to black/death metal) particularly on the first three tracks. Then, we discover a more violent and brutal approach on the last three tracks. What about vocals? It is very prominent, which sometimes breaks the carefully crafted instrumental songwrting. From a production standpoint, it remains intact and consistent with this type of black metal. Key moments, sometimes melodic, are clearly distinguishable despite the raw production.
The opening track, Demons, Like Flies, sets the morbid tone of this EP from the very first seconds with the buzzing of flies. Among the passages I enjoyed, the composition starting at 3:15 stands out with a clear acceleration in tempo. The track ends in the same spirit as its introduction.
On Frozen Fields of the Impaled, a cold atmosphere sets in within seconds, carried by a fast pace. The highlight comes at 2:14, when the dominant vocals briefly emerge, followed by a guitar solo starting at 2:38.
Heretic begins with a horrific, cinematic atmosphere. The composition leans more towards a continuous, melodic rhythm. It's a track that made me nod my head, and from 3:56 onwards I particularly enjoyed the return to a raw rhythm (a transition that comes without any real warning)
On Legendary Suffering, the approach becomes more brutal. Instrumentally, I immediately thought of Dark Funeral from the 1990s. At 1:53, there is a change of tempo, with the vocals serving as a transitional tool. I also believe that the vocal performance reaches its peak here.
The title track Maximum Hatred retains the approach of its predecessor, but with even more remarkable endurance. From 3:02 onwards, there is a change in intensity, and the presence of ceremonial, almost invocatory vocals reinforces the darkness of the whole. This is undoubtedly my favourite track on this EP.
Finally, Salt in Your Wounds closes the EP with constant violence, driven by relentless drums and a frenetic rhythm from the first to the last second.
You can find the album on Fetzner Death Records Website or on the bandcamp below
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