ALBUM REVIEW: Hellcrash – Krvcifix Invertör

Italian Black-Speed Metal horde HELLCRASH unleash their debut album today via Red Wine Rites Records and later on vinyl via Dying Victims Productions. Time to get into some blasphemous ferocity.

Ambient sampling starts off the record with an eerie and foreboding set of sounds, creating tension as bestial guitars blend into the mix. Firing into an onslaught of merciless riffing and blastbeats, the raw cascade of demonic Extreme Metal wastes no time in ripping through a speeding frenzy of diabolical destruction. The venomous vocals perfectly meet the primal artillery of the instruments with a very lo-fi mix to only add more character to the inferno of savagery, we are certainly off to a promising start. The lead work adds more sleazy energy to the poisonous rampage while we never stray from the ravenous path of rabid Black-Speed Metal fury. There is a clear legitimacy in the sound of Hellcrash whose desire to play old school maniacal Heavy Metal without compromise is showcased with a palpable passion in their relentless sound. If you cannot take the raw intensity of poser-crushing mayhem, now is the time to turn away, they will not miss you.

Blistering further into the pits of hell, the barbarian Italians deliver such a seamless onslaught of violent riffing and monstrous drums to lay waste to all in site as the blasphemous spewed vocals make sure they take no prisoners. This is truly impeccable material, developing from more bestial, primitive sections to anthemic 80s howls that give the tracks a catchy touch, while certainly not abandoning the absolute carnage at the heart of their sound. Amidst the static-y mix, there is so much to be found from the pulverising drums to the raunchiness of the bass giving a monolithic foundation to the ripping riffs and visceral vocals. Tracks like “Evil Executioner” for example inarguably holds its own stood next to other Black-Speed titans such as Extirpation, Whipstriker and Bastardizer, Hellcrash certainly deserve their spot in the ranks of bands taking Metal back to its heyday.

I think one would be hard-pressed to find a Metalhead who doesn’t instantly get an adrenaline rush when they hear Lemmy style bass lines over d-beats meeting an unrelenting storm of Speed Metal riffs and raw, raspy vocals. While some may see this movements resurgence as a nostalgia boom, if that is what it takes to produce such killer bands playing phenomenally old school Heavy Metal with legitimate passion then so be it. Each track booms with mystically-charged yet easy to get into violence that has the raw charm of an underground band while not lacking the songwriting or musical abilities to deliver a crushing record. Every element on here seems to fall into place with a careful precision which is an interesting juxtaposition when in the context of a chaotic assault of Black-Speed ferocity, it just all seems to work so damned well.

This is a record that speaks for itself, blast it at high volume and if you do not feel yourself being ripped into a tornado of headbanging mayhem, then the sonic artillery will simply destroy you. An incredibly impressive first record with all of the fire at the heart of magnificent tracks that makes for a totally excellent listen. Be a part of the carnage, or fall victim to it.