One Hour Hell hail from Sweden, and bring a bounding brand of death metal to the table with this their second album ‘Interfectvs’. Having formed from the ashes of Oxide in 2007, they quickly released their debut ‘Product of Massmurder’ in 2008, before going through a time of turbulence and line-up changes. Fast forward to 2014, a new vocalist in place, as well as former Carnal Forge bass player Jens C. Mortensen now contributing to the quite considerable rhythm section, this album certainly packs a punch in more ways than one.
The most notable thing for me is just how LOW the guitars/bass are tuned. Granted, death metal isn’t usually noted for staying in straight E tuning for the guitars, but there is some seriously steel rope heavy, 7 or 8 string business going on here which you’d usually hear damaging your speakers from the likes of Meshuggah. Well, I presume so anyway, as it really is crushing! Not that One Hour Hell are really as “Djent-y” (though they’re not afraid to throw in a lot of interesting chuggy rhythms), these guys are much more deathly in their delivery, with a surprising amount of up-tempo riffage thrown in to break up the generally rumbling and deep guitar carnage. Quite often the rhythm section will carry the more up-tempo sections (as notable in ‘Interfectvs Est’), with guitars lumbering like some ungodly, heaving beast over manic drumming and harshly spat death metal vocals. ‘Covered in Sin’ and ‘Penetrate Obliterate’ however both prove they can pull thrashier tempos from the guitars, violently gnashing at your speakers as everything else seemingly tries to contain them to the safety of your CD player.
Personally, I feel these guys are actually most effective when battering out their slower moments. The fact they can cleanly, yet slowly crush your skull with a few angrily hit notes, shattering teeth and sending your skull crumbling into your neck with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer is actually just as forcible as having your flesh flayed by one of their speedier sections, but with an added satisfyingly meaty churn. To be honest, I imagine it’d certainly have the edge in a live environment too (although you’d likely be constantly diving to avoid lumps of falling architecture, such is the destructive bottom end).
‘Interfectvs’ is a refreshing album with a truly crushing nature. Weighing heavily in the groove stakes, brimming with unashamed brutality and delivering a low end which could be measurable on the Richter scale, One Hour Hell certainly gained my attention with a musical kick in the balls. Prepare your face for restructuring; the musical breeze block has arrived!
(7.5/10 Lars Christiansen)
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