Helslave unveils its second album.
Created in Italy in 2009 by Jari Sgarlato (guitar), the band is subject to several line-up changes. Francesco Comerci (drums), Luca Riccardelli (bass, Abscendent), Diego Laino (vocals, ex-Ade) and Marco Benedetti (guitar, Subliminal Crusher) progressively joined the band, who releases today From the Sulphur Depths.
Perfectly mixed by Dan Swanö (Nightingale, ex-Bloodbath, ex-Edge of Sanity, ex-Pan.Thy.Monium…) and illustrated by the dark art of Juanjo Castellano (Anal Vomit, Carnation, Coffins, Paganizer, Revel in Flesh, Stortregn, Vomitory…), the band plays a quite Old School and dark Death Metal that immediately strikes us with From The Sulphur Depths, an introduction with occult sound. Blast and greasy riffs meet on Unholy Graves, a song on which the singer’s roars compete with the rhythmic’s strength. Piercing leads drive us to Thrive in Blasphemy, a song full of an unhealthy rage and heavy occult sonorities. Old School elements take over dark melodies, just like Perpetual Damnation, a quite hooking and energetic song. Riffs are catchy, while being still greasy, then the band offers us a new fix of unholy melodies with Last Nail In The Coffin, a quite accessible but very effective and heady song. We continue with Thy Will Be Undone, which is probably one of the composition that draws the most into the band’s old influences, but aussi with Funeral Lust that created an unhealthy ritualistic ambience. Pure violence surfaces again into Desacration, a very heavy song with fast tempo. Blast relentlessly strikes while the band picks into Brutal Death tones, but also into a sticky Death/Doom for Rotting Pile Of Flesh, a sometimes stabbing song. The Sentence Of The Living comes to close the album, with Old School and Black Metal influences, creating an oppressive universe.
Helslave’s strength doesn’t decrease. The band bounced back of its several line-up changes, and offers an Old School album with seizing melodies. From the Sulphur Depths will undoubtedly participate to increase their reputation!
85/100