If you don’t know about Death/Doom, let Hooded Menace teach it to you.
Since 2007, the band created in Finland by Lasse Pyykkö (guitar/bass, Claws, Phlegeton, Vacant Coffin…) reigns over the genre. Nowadays accompanied by Pekka Koskelo (drums, Ruinebell, Vacant Coffin, ex-Phlegeton), Teemu Hannonen (guitar, ex-Phlegeton) and Harri Kuokkanen (vocals, Hail Conjurer, Horse Latitudes, Ride for Revenge, ex-Perikato) offers us The Tritonus Bell, its sixth album.
The album begins with Chthonic Exordium, a short melancholic introduction that ends on Chime Diabolicus, a heavy composition between this putrid Death/Doom and a catchy Heavy Metal. The song’s ambience immediately traps us into this languor with sharp riffs, but the contrast goes further and offers a rage from the grave combined to a communicative energy. Blood Ornament comes next with those heady sonorities and those foggy riffs developing a weighing ambience completed by some clean parts. Haunting tones are meltes to hooking riffs, then Those Who Absorb The Night offers more oppressive sounds. The song develops dissonant melodies and a heaviness that make the most reluctant nod. Corpus Asunder comes next and stays into this greasy and hooking contrast that allow a special place for epic and piercing leads while keeping the heavy basis, then Scattered Into Dark invokes again darker and more mysterious tones. The song also displays impressive sonorities and an intense progression until a female voice that unveils the final part. The band continues with Instruments Of Somber Finality, a mesmerizing instrumental composition that place leads on the foreground to give energy to this short song before The Torture Never Sleeps, a WASP cover. Whether the song’s soul is obviously respected, the fact they add it to their greasy and aggressive universe gives it an interesting strength.
It is obvious that Hooded Menace their universe. Their melting between Doom, Death and Heavy Metal is pushed to a peak on The Tritonus Bell, unveiling melancholy, energy and drive that will for sure get us.
90/100