Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Hellsword
Label: Haliaetum Records
Release: year_month
Rating: 4.5/5
Ever cracked open an album that reeked of sulfur like some musical version of the Necronomicon, where flipping through the booklet you’d hear the screams of virgins with every turn of the page, all wrapped in an overwhelming sense of darkness, malice, horror and chaos? No? Then you haven’t yet held in your hands the EP from Ljubljana black/speed metal trio Hellsword, Blasphemy Unchained, or rather its reissue, since the demo, born straight out of Hell, sold out in a few weeks.
As soon as the seed of evil was sown, it had to be made sure that His word would be spread again, and even farther than the first time. So Hellsword swung the hellish sword once more and, in the blood of the God-fearing, pressed and unchained a blasphemous EP, adding a new studio track and a cover of the legendary Venom. Musically, Hellsword walk in the footsteps of the pioneers of speed/black metal Hellhammer, Venom, Motörhead, Bathory and early Sodom and Destruction, which isn’t necessarily the most original thing ever, but it’s damn nice to finally hear a band around here that isn’t trapped between the walls of orthodox thrash or black metal. Even though the music Hellsword play is considered archaic and dead outside the underground, it’s surprising how fresh the trio sounds, as if Rosemary’s baby from Polanski’s classic had just been spawned. Hellsword are total “old-school worship”, which means they spit out a demonic mix of black and speed metal: “straight to point” oompa-oompa d-beat drumming, perversely blasphemous riffs and solos, a metallic, rattling bass (with truly varied and lively lines) and the devilish vocals of Mike Manslaughter. The band doesn’t do complicated, and instead of stringing together countless riffs and lines, it favors minimalist but powerful, sped-up riffs and Ironfist’s colorful solos, plus the hellish barking of Mike Manslaughter, who delivers his lines dedicated to Evil like a rabid Cerberus. The production of the demo is actually the only weakness of this unholy little record. Sure, Blasphemy Unchained should in no way sound like an ultra-clean production from the hands of some Andy Sneap; the dirty, rough and raw sound gives Hellsword a special charm and a unique stamp, but it would still be wise to improve at least the drum sound in the future. The snare hits, which currently sound like tickling the soles of your feet with a feather, should sound like whip cracks across Jesus’ back. With the new track Burn the Chapel, Hellsword prove that the legions of Hell have no intention of stopping anytime soon, and the closer, Venom’s classic Live Like An Angel (Die Like a Devil) bent to the Hellsword style, is just the goat on the pentagram of an excellent release!
Even though Hellsword are far from playing anything remotely original, what they do is punchy, hellish and sounds exactly the way it’s supposed to sound. With what Hellsword are doing today, they’d have stood shoulder to shoulder with forefathers like Venom and Hellhammer in the early eighties.
Lineup
Mike Manslaughter – bass, vocals
Ironfist – guitar
Mark Massacre – drums
Production
Curse
Tracklist
1. Prelude to Blasphemy
2. Unholy Reich
3. Evil’s Rebirt
4. Marching Towards Heaven (Satan, Death and Fear)
5. Burn the Chapel
6. Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)
