At just a bit under 30 minutes, the latest offering by this black metal outfit from Israel can hardly be called a full-length. Its six forceful tracks make for an enjoyable ep, though, at least if you don?t take the lyrics seriously. Then again, that?s hardly news when it comes to music that the press sheet advises us to file under ?antipriest drinking metal?.

?Justus Ex Fide Vivit? is Tangorodrim?s second release on Southern Lord, and while it?s by no means a major release for such a consistently great label, it?s still well worth picking up for its entertainment value. After all, Tangorodrim are for early black metal and American hardcore punk what Zoot Woman are for synth pop: a brilliant but ultimately unoriginal rephrasing of a prominent eighties sound. The cd?s opener, the hilariously titled ?When Heirs of the Horned Shamelessly Attack? sets out with some of Misfits-style riff stampede complete with galopping drums supplied by Terno Graderz (billed as on ?Volcano Grind?). ?Justus Ex Fide Vivit? slows down somewhat in its second half, giving room to heavier guitars and gurgling vocals that are more reminiscent of early Venom and Celtic Frost. The last track, ?Without Eyes and Anything Above?, finally features the Celtic-Frostian grunt that no release like this can do without.

Those who have come to like metal ? and particularly Southern Lord releases ? for the more abstract and ambient sounds of the Sunno)))-related projects, Wolves in the Throne Room or the demented extremity of Striborg should stay away from Tangorodrim though. For this is mix tape metal. And why not. 7/10 -- Jan-Arne Sohns (14 November, 2007)