Asinhell marks a return to Death Metal.
Created by Dane Michael Poulsen (guitar, Volbeat, ex-Dominus) in 2021, the musician surrounds himself with Marc Grewe (vocals, Insidious Disease, ex-Morgoth) and Morten Toft Hansen (drums, Raunchy) to give life to Impii Hora, their debut album.
Fall of the Loyal Warrior is the first track to reveal its aggressive motivating Old School sound, which the band complements with raw vocal parts that fit perfectly with the rhythm. The mix shifts from a groovy sound to melodious harmonics before letting the blast express itself again, then Inner Sancticide lets heaviness unfold before returning to the jerky riffs that give the track a burst of energy. The slower parts contrast with the energetic moments before leading into Island of Dead Men, a short track where violence and saturation go hand in hand to create an abrasive yet catchy rhythm. Trophies adopts similar patterns, while relying on a lower tempo to give the visceral accelerations more strength, and then The Ultimate Sin takes us on a charge that combines lively riffs, martial parts and melodies borrowed from Heavy Metal. The track remains relatively effective, before giving way to the fury of Wolfpack Laws, where the powerful rhythmics easily ignite, letting drums run wild or on the contrary slowing the whole down to offer heady parts. Desert of Doom naturally follows, drawing on Crust/Punk influences to give a fiery touch to a thick saturated sound, while Pyromantic Scryer sticks to its more classic Death/Thrash influences straight out of the 90s. Vocals even indulge in long hoarse howls, complemented by motivating patterns that eventually lead us into Impii Hora, the eponymous track whose Latin translation I’ll leave you to find, which features dirty, cruel riffs as the vocalist gives us a broad glimpse of his talent. The musicians easily pace the track, letting leads slip into the composition from time to time, driving into Føj for Helvede, just a few seconds long where the musicians hold the rhythm for some children’s words.
Michael Poulsen returns to his first love with Asinhell, letting Death Metal express itself to give Impii Hora the feeling of being back in the 90s, both in terms of composition and sound. The album will delight nostalgic fans!
85/100