By:
Daniel Jackson
For
most heavy metal labels, December tends to be something of a dead zone. While
new releases don’t dry up entirely, they do seem to slow to a trickle. Not for Hell’s Headbangers. In a year already filled with
highpoints, they’re finishing the year out as strong as can be. For the sake of
bringing up some album’s I’ve really enjoyed from earlier in the year, I’ll
point you to some of the label’s finest releases from throughout 2015.
One
of the year’s early highlights was Perdition Temple
and their album ‘The Tempter’s
Victorious’ an album that reunited Gene Palubicki with Bill Taylor who
played together on the classic early Angelcorpse
albums ‘Hammer of the Gods’ and ‘Exterminate’. The album rewarded people
like me who have a near bottomless appetite for Palubicki’s particular brand of
fiery blackened death metal.
Speaking
of Palubicki, he came back shortly thereafter with the returning Blasphemic Cruelty and their ‘Crucible of the Infernum’ EP. Featuring
Alex Plume of the also excellent Ares Kingdom
and human gatling gun Gina Ambrosio; ‘Crucible
of the Infernum’ adds a bit more of a thrashy feel to Palubicki’s trademark
guitar style. It’s every bit as good as Perdition Temple’s
album, which is to say it’s top notch. With Angelcorpse
coming together again for some live dates, including Taylor, Palubicki and the
band’s drummer Ron Parmer in the lineup; Perdition Temple
may end up going dark for some time.
The
rest Hell’s Headbangers’ 2015 brought
us the first new Abominator
in nearly ten years, and it’s an excellent addition to an already strong
discography, along with some similarly worthwhile releases from the likes of Deathhammer, Deceased,
Deiphago, Nocturnal Blood, Cemetery Lust,
and Abysmal Lord. Deceased also put out two really fun,
gigantic compilations, including over fifty(!) cover songs getting a reworking
from bands as diverse as Motörhead,
Angry Samoans, Sodom, and 45 Grave,
and then the other being demos compilation.
All
of this is to say that Hell’s Headbangers
has had an insanely big year this year from a quality standpoint, and where a
lot of labels slow down towards the year’s end, Hell’s Headbangers
is doing just the opposite. They have four releases this month, all of which
are worthy of your time, and we’re going to highlight each of the four.
Diavolos
- ‘You Lived Now Die’
With
a pedigree that includes the likes of Impaled Nazarene, Sentenced, Soulskinner,
Thou Art Lord, and Electric Wizard,
this album had a high likelihood of succeeding with me before it even hit my
ears. It doesn’t disappoint. It’s a fantastic mix of death, thrash and black
metal with a real sense of songwriting. It’s fantastic beer-drinking music,
hitting that sweet spot between Possessed
and mid 80s German thrash, with hints of prime Mercyful Fate
and Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden. ‘You Lived, Now Die’ is mandatory listening to close out the year.
In fact, I’ll spoil my list a little and let you know that the album’s in my
top 25 of the year.
Power From Hell
- ‘Devil’s Whorehouse’
A
throwback of a different sort, São Paulo’s Power From Hell
scratch a very specific itch, that being Bathory’s
first two albums and Venom. Even the
production hits the right notes, from the heavy reverb over everything, down to
the deep 80s snare tone. It doesn’t have the same excess of sleazy personality
that Midnight has, instead
aiming for something a bit more solemn. So, while you might need to be in a
pretty specific mood to get the most out of an album like this, Power From Hell gets about as close to that
old feel and sound as anyone going.
Gravewürm
- ‘Doomed to Eternity’
A
staple of American death and black metal dating back to the early 90s, Gravewürm exhibit all of the wisdom and
patience of a band that’s been in the thick of things as long as they have.
You’re going to come across a lot of reserved tempos and blackened death metal
riffs woven into something resembling a traditional rock n’ roll and heavy
metal temperament. You won’t find a lot of aimless blasting, or even an excess
of thrashing drumbeats. Instead, those are held back to try and make them count
for more than they might otherwise.
Bonus:
Invocation Spells
- Descendent the Black Throne
This
albums was released on CD earlier in the year via Argentinian label Metal Command Records, but will receive
a wider release on CD, Vinyl and Cassette via Hells Headbangers
11 December. ‘Descendent the Black
Throne’ is pretty by-the-numbers black thrash, though it’s smartly-written,
with thoroughly punk rock overtones. If you imagine Aura Noir,
mid 2000s Darkthrone, and early Sodom thrown together and then recorded
their guitars using Paul Cutler’s sound from 45 Graves
‘Sleep in Safety’, you’d be in the
right ballpark.
