ALBUM REVIEW: Hellish – The Spectre Of Lonely Souls

Here I have another review from a band on Unspeakable Axe Records, HELLISH! Let’s check this Blackened Thrash Metal full length out!

1. Rising opens with some very 80s Horror movie style piano playing, it’s hauntingly beautiful and a great opening for a Metal album certainly. The darker note choices are really eerie, yet tranquil. Awesome little opener.
2. The Night kicks right into NWOBHM inspired, thrashing madness. The riffs are really epic, fast and full of just classic vibes. The drums are insanely fast and finally the blackened, harsh vocals sound absolutely evil. There is a vibe of Vulcano and Sarcofago to this sound that I really like. There atmospheric leads add a really nice tinge of more modern Black Metal to the song, atop the really old school riffs, it has a well polished piece of whammy infused soloing with a lovely tapping lick and a grand opus of classic first wave Black Metal worship is unleashed. Excellent track.
3. The Scream Comes From Inside opens up with a really nice melodic riff, possessed growling and a haunting atmosphere. The thrashing maniacs kick the speed up once again, with something this time that sounds much more like Venom. A really awesome sense of dread and foreboding is apparent throughout the release so far, with its occult feel very strongly represented in the music. The upbeat pace of the song is really catchy and enjoyable, something that sounds like it was torn straight out of the later half of the 80s. The drummers china hits sound so furious, really passionately played music hits us from every angle as the guitarist shreds away over thunderous bass lines. The vocals are so damn tormented and ritualistically bleak. Epic track, this album is already selling itself really well to me.
4. The Curse Upon Us has a really strong King Diamond or Mercyful Fate feel to the openings riffs which are really cheerfully catchy. The absolutely masterful songwriting is so presentable, whether you like extreme music or not, this really is some genius throwback material, but done in a modern and refreshing way with the blackened riffs and vocals blasted away through thrashing rhythms and insane drumming. The last scream in this track really hits hard too, killer.
5. Souls Of Desolation comes in with some pretty laid back sampling, they culminate in much more relaxed mute picked riffing over slower drums that create a really terrific vibe. If you enjoy bands like Witchfynde and Satan, this will be right up your street with its simplistic yet very euphoric feel to it. However the much more typically Black Metal vocals, somewhat threw me off. I really like how they work together, in such an unexpected manner and the only word to describe the whole soundscape is, ghastly. Now when I use the term ghastly I mean it to be strongly complementary towards the mood the band are striving to achieve and do so very well. The faster tempos soon join us once more, and flow so smoothly into chaotic and wisely placed thrash riffs. Really well played little shreds on the lead guitar with a gorgeously smooth tone too and some glorious drum fills too. Loved this track and after the first few, cannot say I am surprised.
6. Only Death introduces itself with some howls, wicked drums and crawling guitar riffs. The malignant feel of the song is so clearly presented to us, absolutely awesome work. The speeds get fuelled into madness once more and the wonderfully executed songwriting topped with vocals that would make demons cower, everything is just so perfectly done. The guitar and bass sections especially are just so damn well written (I must admit I am biased to focus on those as a guitarist primarily), but do not let that distract you from the hellish vocals and absolutely insanely good drumming that is also hitting us. The only thing leaving me perplexed is that such historical accuracy to music a few decades early sounds so genuine and periodically effective. Wonderful, sheerly brutal classic black-thrash perfection.
7. The Walker Of Shadows starts in a much more chaotic manner, with some truly disturbing vocals screeches, over frantic instrumentals and ridiculous speeds once more. The higher screams are absolutely beautifully done, the riffs are joyful to listen to and the drums are absolutely perfect in timing. The lead guitar sections have a really epic flamboyance to them, really breathing life into the hellfire of musical fury. Badass.
8. Sacrifice comes in with more typically NWOBHM riffs, topped off with some terrifyingly demonic vocals. The guitars then drop into absolutely stunning melodic yet precise riffing, over really well fitted drums using more cymbals as opposed to snare fuelled blasts as seen before. The upbeat parts are faster, but still somewhat reined in, this song seems to be focusing more on melody and I think that it was a good choice to showcase a diverse range of their talents, all of which have been thoroughly thought out and placed together excellently. The folkier elements to the lead riffs are incredibly King Diamond like, lovely stuff!
9. Bloody Tales sees a very saddening end drawing ever closer. But this song has one last chance to pummel our brains, and does so gloriously. Killer riffs, drumming and gruesome vocals are once more furiously thrown at us, but with order and dignity completely intact. There is both chaos yet such a strong sense of precision to this music, really respectable in every aspect to me. This song is no exception, giving us one last bout of absolutely mesmerising and torturously heavy Blackened Thrash Metal, played to absolutely perfection. Beautifully done guys, a pleasure to listen to throughout.

This album is a perfect recreation of the first wave of Black Metal, the sounds and moods captured perfectly, but still presented in a way that feels modern and refreshing too. The songwriting and musicianship is incredible and the production has a really raw edge yet is very tight. If you enjoy Deathhammer this band should be on your listen list.Absolutely masterful work here and mesmerising to listen to throughout with a sense of euphoria towards classic black/thrash to it. -9/10