Hellchrist Xul has been creating Satanic overtures since way back in 1991. During this time he has upped sticks from home in the Netherlands to Prague and collaborated with countless band members, delivering 4 previous albums and a plethora of other releases. This is album number 5 and sees him seemingly doing things alone. The follow up to 2015 independent release ‘Sinister Creed’ promises to present the unadulterated Essence of 1st and 2nd wave black metal with little in the way of innovation and one that certainly is not going to compromise on themes of devilry and diabolism.
Intent is clear with the opening gambit of ‘Towards the Glorious Triumph of Satan’s Empire.’ Strange sounds echo and we are flung into a convoluted cauldron of hateful, alien like vocals and cold militant harshness. The gurgling vocals are pretty piercing and constantly harangue the listener through the duration of the 35-minute album. They are a key focus and pretty much trap you in the vile doctrines of our Satanic overlord who preaches them very much from a pulpit of sulphur. Music is a rough and tumble ride that is soaked in a brackish mire of doom and destruction. There is something close to an industrial vibe about it especially as it picks up speed and tumbles headlong into the vortex ‘Of Black Tongues and Sulphuric Breath’ seemingly now in a mad dash all the way to the finishing line. Once this stance has been adopted it sticks to it rigidly, furiously saluting their Satanic majesties and all who dwell in the realms of ‘Spiritual Black Death.’ There are occasional doomy moments but they are oft obliterated with a hellish scream and pulverising salvo of drum blasts, that bile spitting rasp following every step of the way.
Production is suitably gnarly with the emphasis on the sermon which is full of mischievous malevolence. The songs are generally short and get to the heart of things quickly before moving along. The likes of ‘Rise Of The Dark Imperium’ being short, sharp and sulphur ridden scourge, happy to spit out “The venomous seed of the Devil,” plough through its ‘morbid revelations’ and move on. It does all become a blur and pretty one-dimensional but that is kind of what it promised, the fairly short running time actually works in its favour. No matter how much you agree with the message, having it shouted spitefully at you is going to wear down the hardiest devotee. Nobody can accuse the ‘Essence’ of being diluted here though and as we enter the ‘Aeon Of Darkness’ at culmination one could easily survey the wreckage of the world and prepare for a place of manifest obsidian darkness turning everything to black.
(7/10 Pete Woods)
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