Hellbutcher – Hellbutcher

After Nifelheim called it quits at the end of 2022, vocalist Hellbutcher quickly formed a new band featuring some well-known names. How about Martin “Devastator” Axenrot (Bloodbath, Opeth) on drums, Necrophiliac (Mordant), Iron Beast (Unleashed) on guitar and Eld (Aeternus and Ghaals Wyrd) on bass? That would certainly deserve the label of a supergroup, right?

On paper, this can sometimes be a bit disappointing and the fact that this album was written fairly quickly after Nifelheim’s breakup and that it has been recorded in various studios initially, made me fear the worst. But nothing could be further from the truth: Hellbutcher has become a solid black metal album with plenty of thrash influences. The whole thing sounds fresh yet fierce.

It all begins with the opener The Sword Of Wrath, one of the longer tracks on Hellbutcher. After a typical heavy metal intro, the pedal is floored as soon as the first riff kicks in. The music is filled with heavy metal influences, overlaid with biting and venomous vocals. A tempo change and a nice slow solo complete the first song, and the tone for the album is set. Perdition blasts in with a thrashy/black metal riff, featuring the wonderfully nasty vocal snarls of the band’s namesake, what really finishes it up. Violent Destruction starts very unconventionally with a guitar solo, providing a perfect lead-in to this largely midtempo track. Yet even here, Hellbutcher delivers its satanic sounds with blasphemous lyrics at a high quality.

Without naming every track, you’ve probably gathered that we are dealing with a very good collective here. On this album, the primitive black metal of Bathory and Venom is diabolically fused with the heavy metal of Iron Maiden and a touch of Mercyful Fate. Hellbutcher (the vocalist) seems to want to make a statement with Hellbutcher (the band): here I am, very alive and better than ever. The unholy fire is still present and ready to scorch everything sacred to ashes.

Vertaling door Kees van Alphen.