New Zealand Heavy Metal Forum & Discussion

[Phlegm]

Hello, Precious. Gollum - when you're finished obsessing with the ring, meet your soundalike from black metal band HELLACAUST. Although this band attended all the workshops in the dark forests, they evidently paid attention in the hardcore punk class as well. Listening to "Whore" it's easy to imagine that BL'AST could have sounded like this back in the 80s if they'd paid equal homage to BLACK FLAG and black metal. There's also the shouted gang choruses after a George Carlin sample on "Millennial Regression".

Through the dark woods comes a guitar sound made by swarms of giant bumblebees encircling a working buzzsaw. The vocals are strong and clear as they could get for a creature from another earth. Some Germanic thrash metal sounds with tasty frenzied whipping leads are added now and again on "Feeding The Wound". Hardcore thrashing black metal is the only apt description for "What We Say Is Real". Unfortunately, the drums are muffled and the blastbeats sound like someone with a 300 word-per-minute typing speed going hell-for-leather on an antiquated typewriter with no regard for error. The first two songs blur together, nevertheless HELLACAUST have managed to make an album that survives relistens by staying within their comfort zone when mixing sub-genres and providing variety moving from a slow deathgrind to extreme speed. The lyrics are based in reality yet this album is a soundtrack for sloppily slaughtering Orcs in the pitch black of night with a giant axe.


http://myspace.com/hellacaust