A full decade on from last album Jacob’s Ladder and it sounds as if the various members of Hell Militia have been through the mill and had disruptive personal affairs spiralling out of control in their lives. That’s even before being thwarted by plague stopping the players who were spread throughout Europe from gathering and recording again. Combined from the highly regarded forces of the French black underground including members from the likes of Vorkreist, IXXI, Temple Of Baal, Weltbrand & The Order Of Apollyon, this has naturally made them return as armed and dangerous as ever before. I had a brief listen to the last few albums before plunging into this their fourth and not only discovered that it is probably their most caustic and virulent release but it is also their most addictive with it.
Static billows and is obliterated by an absolutely lethal barrage of drums and scything guitars. The raw rasps of Dutch vocalist RSDX who seems to have taken over from last throat-slinger Meyhnach are brutally blood-thirsty and authoritative. Obviously although he has departed it appears that it’s without animosity as he guests on the final track. The members despite having been displaced for so long seem incredibly tight and coordinated moving between hellacious bursts of energy and slower cadaverous doomy crawls with ease. A long time has passed but one should at least raise a glass in memory of the departed during the course of listening to this for previous bassist LSK who sadly surrendered to her own personal demons shortly after completing their last album. Having declared themselves well and truly back on the first number Hell Militia start to do what they do so well on ‘Genesis Undone’ and after bouncing the listener around with a volatile urgent spring in their step, start introducing what can only be described as the first morbid melody that makes this album so addictive. The song is already immense and pulverising but once it slows and hits with a staggering grandiosity it will really chill your blood and leave you shuddering. It won’t be the last time this happens either, be prepared.
The 9 tracks are all spat out thick and fast, pace is measured and changes throughout. ‘Dust Of Time’ a stabbing creepy crawl of a number, delivered by deadly stealth and entwining slowly around the throat whilst strangling you and then rearing off having decapitated in a welter of gore. Listen out for the siren-clamour sounds of the winding guitars as they enthusiastically slice and dice what is left of the dismembered carrion. As for the vocalist the nihilistic yell of ‘Oblivion’ cannot be ignored. Never has carnage sounded quite so gloriously nihilistic, overdosed on it a deathly belch is rendered but as you will see he is literally the last man standing at the end of this utterly ruinous number. Dave Terror lives up to his name, the drummer absolutely smashing the china and rolling out backbone over his parts with destructive malevolence at the heart of things. Arkdaemon and Saroth’s guitar parts along with the bass playing of S tear through things injecting those memorable grooves and adding to the mass are occasional sound-bytes providing an air of finite mystery and intrigue. The title track exudes a vitriolic vibe as if the band are revelling in the destruction they have created making it an empowered glorious listening experience. That’s before they turn things on their head for the sinister downward spiral of ‘The Highest Fall’ sounding like a personal plummet before the whole world suffers the rabid dictatorial rigours of ‘Kingdoms Scorched.’
This is an album that really gets under the skin and the scalpel blades cut continuously throughout its perfect 45-minute running time. Hell Militia have created their opus magnum here and as they rejoice in the corruption of the downright eerie final track it’s obvious they are going to draw you back into this hollow void time and time again. Special mention also has to go to Bunkur vocalist Manuel Tinnemans // Comaworx cover art. There’s something gloriously crusty old school punk about it in a Rudimentary Peni / I cons Of Filth kind of way completing an excellent all-round package.
(9/10 Pete Woods)
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