My favourite thing about Metal is when Metal references Metal and I can only assume that this is the case with Power From Hell. Whom if they haven’t plied their name from the Onslaught album of the same name then I’ll eat my turned up Thrash Metal cap. Anyway, this Brazilian Metal force have a strong history, having formed in 2001 and pumping out an array of material. In fact today we look at their Seventh full length record Shadows Devouring Light. The album which is put out through Debemur Morti Productions is sure to boast some strong Black Thrash chaos, but how does it play out?

The album opens with a typically 70s Horror style sampled intro in Forsaken By The Father, which is actually quite fun all things considered. After such an ‘edgy’ intro it’s time for Silence, or a lack thereof apparently. This blistering Blackened Thrash banger is equal parts savage as it is strangely atmospheric. Yet it retains a certain early Black Metal/ Thrash tone in being full of catchy hooks, especially vocally. Hammering on with much the same drumming and guitar patterns/ song structure is The Serpent’s Earthly Throne. It appears somewhat atypically generic but truth be told it packs a surprising punch. It’s the kind of music you could easily be hypnotised by and at the same time your mate could be Thrashing like a maniac. By the time you reach Primordial Impurity I think you would be justified in pulling the generic card however and whilst I personally am still on board by this point it certainly isn’t music that is reinventing the wheel.

Fed up with the same monotonal drum pattern and loosely reverbing riffs? Yep surprise surprise Mother Of Abominations contains the similarly Watain-like form as the rest of the album. I would almost say that Power From Hell are almost purely relying on worship, the kind of tone that is forever to leave them as a strong but not blinding Metal force. I have to give a shout out to the song name Eve’s Holy Vulva though, truly Black Metal in every sense, again though it’s a similarly structured Black Thrash battering. If I said I was weakened by the end of this album I would be lying, but have I had enough Black Thrash for today? Yeah most certainly.

In short Shadows Devouring Light isn’t going to be atop many albums of the year lists. It is but a blood drop in the goblet of gore as it were. It ripples with pleasing effect and passes. As I say I actually really enjoy the whole sound of this album, which is a good job considering its repetition. Joke aside though if you’re into the lighter side of the vltra kvlt then you’re going to think this is pretty damn cool for sure. For someone who lives in a perpetual thought process of ‘heard it before’ however it is somewhat generic.

(7/10 George Caley)

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https://powerfromhell.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-devouring-light