Review by Alex on July 28, 2020.

The sub levels of the underground witnesses the emergence of a new creature, Dkharmakhaoz. Of formations resembling a modern take on 2nd wave black metal, Proclamation ov the Black Suns does not approach the medium with the traditional blast beat massacre, instead project has recorded the grooviest black metal album you'll hear perhaps all year. Not saying there are not instances of blast beat goodness to absorb such as on the self-titled track, 'Proclamation ov the Black Suns' but the music here seems to be written and composed with the idea of making memorable, mid-paced black metal songs as the main focus. To say the least, Proclamation ov the Black Suns turned out well, in most cases it even exceeded expectations.

Proclamation ov the Black Suns has a few things to take note of. One (1), the vocals are not the traditional black metal shriek, but a kind of lamenting snarl. So rather than dominating the music, these operate as an addition to the songs. Two (2), speaking of 'songs', the music on Proclamation ov the Black Suns is easy to follow and even predict. Don't let that be a deter, 'predictable' song structures are not always bad especially when the flow is as addicting as it is on this record. You can tell deep consideration was put into composing what we interpret as music on Proclamation ov the Black Suns, hence this succinct piecing together is reflected in the tunes themselves. How many songs can you honestly remember from newly formed, run-of-the-mill black metal bands?, that's right barely any because of how lack-luster, in-genuine and uninspired they sound as they copy and paste till the ink and paper are all used-up. Instead, what you get from Dkharmakhaoz are items that while having individual traits, work together in remaining adhesive to the primary theme, desired effect of the record, all the while having a face of its own. It sounds like its own thing, as though making every respectable effort to break loose from the standardized formula of black metal.

The album has a very meditative state about it. I think the mid-paced tempo maintained from 'The Cycle ov Omega' to 'Reu Nu Pert Em Hru' gives the listener an impression of perpetual hypnotism, a constant state of conscious absence. The album only has 7 tracks totaling 36 minutes or so, however, there are critical moments on Proclamation ov the Black Suns or perhaps erotic highlights, that see the music go from being a tease of sorts to fully undressing and revealing the figure in all its splendor. 'The Cycle ov Omega' is provocative in a sense as it toggles with the blast beats before the groove emerges. The same goes for 'The Way with the Serpent Entwined' (opening riffs here are reminiscent of 'In Blood - Devour this Sanctity' by Belphegor) that goes back and forth between 2nd wave black metal and almost breakdown styled strings and drumming. The adept weaving into something more focused then comes about after the tease as 'Beyond the Transcendental Lumines' takes the center stage proudly moving about with a sensual sway, though possessing a crushing soundscape. Also, to add to the riffing and drumming grove are ambient and industrial sounds in the backdrop that make this song stick-out amidst already memorable entries. This sonic synergy is the muscle on Proclamation ov the Black Suns, slaving for the greater outcome of the record.

The drumming is handled with much care and is very energetic with some of its best moments appearing on title track 'Proclamation ov the Black Suns' (sounds inspired by Dark Funeral). Chord progressions combine smoothly with the tremolo picking that arrive as aid to the buzzing feed of the bass in the backdrop on 'Chthonic Rites ov Fertility', being another steal for the drumming along with 'Ascension' that just obliterates the kit.

Proclamation ov the Black Suns ticks the necessary boxes where thoughtful song structures are concerned, it has the aggression, the groove, the toggle of temperament, but more-so, an identity of its own, a priceless thing to have in a supersaturated art form. And being the work of only two engineers makes Proclamation ov the Black Suns and even greater exploit.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Alex on July 28, 2020.

The sub levels of the underground witnesses the emergence of a new creature, Dkharmakhaoz. Of formations resembling a modern take on 2nd wave black metal, Proclamation ov the Black Suns does not approach the medium with the traditional blast beat massacre, instead project has recorded the grooviest black metal album you'll hear perhaps all year. Not saying there are not instances of blast beat goodness to absorb such as on the self-titled track, 'Proclamation ov the Black Suns' but the music here seems to be written and composed with the idea of making memorable, mid-paced black metal songs as the main focus. To say the least, Proclamation ov the Black Suns turned out well, in most cases it even exceeded expectations.

Proclamation ov the Black Suns has a few things to take note of. One (1), the vocals are not the traditional black metal shriek, but a kind of lamenting snarl. So rather than dominating the music, these operate as an addition to the songs. Two (2), speaking of 'songs', the music on Proclamation ov the Black Suns is easy to follow and even predict. Don't let that be a deter, 'predictable' song structures are not always bad especially when the flow is as addicting as it is on this record. You can tell deep consideration was put into composing what we interpret as music on Proclamation ov the Black Suns, hence this succinct piecing together is reflected in the tunes themselves. How many songs can you honestly remember from newly formed, run-of-the-mill black metal bands?, that's right barely any because of how lack-luster, in-genuine and uninspired they sound as they copy and paste till the ink and paper are all used-up. Instead, what you get from Dkharmakhaoz are items that while having individual traits, work together in remaining adhesive to the primary theme, desired effect of the record, all the while having a face of its own. It sounds like its own thing, as though making every respectable effort to break loose from the standardized formula of black metal.

The album has a very meditative state about it. I think the mid-paced tempo maintained from 'The Cycle ov Omega' to 'Reu Nu Pert Em Hru' gives the listener an impression of perpetual hypnotism, a constant state of conscious absence. The album only has 7 tracks totaling 36 minutes or so, however, there are critical moments on Proclamation ov the Black Suns or perhaps erotic highlights, that see the music go from being a tease of sorts to fully undressing and revealing the figure in all its splendor. 'The Cycle ov Omega' is provocative in a sense as it toggles with the blast beats before the groove emerges. The same goes for 'The Way with the Serpent Entwined' (opening riffs here are reminiscent of 'In Blood - Devour this Sanctity' by Belphegor) that goes back and forth between 2nd wave black metal and almost breakdown styled strings and drumming. The adept weaving into something more focused then comes about after the tease as 'Beyond the Transcendental Lumines' takes the center stage proudly moving about with a sensual sway, though possessing a crushing soundscape. Also, to add to the riffing and drumming grove are ambient and industrial sounds in the backdrop that make this song stick-out amidst already memorable entries. This sonic synergy is the muscle on Proclamation ov the Black Suns, slaving for the greater outcome of the record.

The drumming is handled with much care and is very energetic with some of its best moments appearing on title track 'Proclamation ov the Black Suns' (sounds inspired by Dark Funeral). Chord progressions combine smoothly with the tremolo picking that arrive as aid to the buzzing feed of the bass in the backdrop on 'Chthonic Rites ov Fertility', being another steal for the drumming along with 'Ascension' that just obliterates the kit.

Proclamation ov the Black Suns ticks the necessary boxes where thoughtful song structures are concerned, it has the aggression, the groove, the toggle of temperament, but more-so, an identity of its own, a priceless thing to have in a supersaturated art form. And being the work of only two engineers makes Proclamation ov the Black Suns and even greater exploit.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Alex on July 28, 2020.

The sub levels of the underground witnesses the emergence of a new creature, Dkharmakhaoz. Of formations resembling a modern take on 2nd wave black metal, Proclamation ov the Black Suns does not approach the medium with the traditional blast beat massacre, instead project has recorded the grooviest black metal album you'll hear perhaps all year. Not saying there are not instances of blast beat goodness to absorb such as on the self-titled track, 'Proclamation ov the Black Suns' but the music here seems to be written and composed with the idea of making memorable, mid-paced black metal songs as the main focus. To say the least, Proclamation ov the Black Suns turned out well, in most cases it even exceeded expectations.

Proclamation ov the Black Suns has a few things to take note of. One (1), the vocals are not the traditional black metal shriek, but a kind of lamenting snarl. So rather than dominating the music, these operate as an addition to the songs. Two (2), speaking of 'songs', the music on Proclamation ov the Black Suns is easy to follow and even predict. Don't let that be a deter, 'predictable' song structures are not always bad especially when the flow is as addicting as it is on this record. You can tell deep consideration was put into composing what we interpret as music on Proclamation ov the Black Suns, hence this succinct piecing together is reflected in the tunes themselves. How many songs can you honestly remember from newly formed, run-of-the-mill black metal bands?, that's right barely any because of how lack-luster, in-genuine and uninspired they sound as they copy and paste till the ink and paper are all used-up. Instead, what you get from Dkharmakhaoz are items that while having individual traits, work together in remaining adhesive to the primary theme, desired effect of the record, all the while having a face of its own. It sounds like its own thing, as though making every respectable effort to break loose from the standardized formula of black metal.

The album has a very meditative state about it. I think the mid-paced tempo maintained from 'The Cycle ov Omega' to 'Reu Nu Pert Em Hru' gives the listener an impression of perpetual hypnotism, a constant state of conscious absence. The album only has 7 tracks totaling 36 minutes or so, however, there are critical moments on Proclamation ov the Black Suns or perhaps erotic highlights, that see the music go from being a tease of sorts to fully undressing and revealing the figure in all its splendor. 'The Cycle ov Omega' is provocative in a sense as it toggles with the blast beats before the groove emerges. The same goes for 'The Way with the Serpent Entwined' (opening riffs here are reminiscent of 'In Blood - Devour this Sanctity' by Belphegor) that goes back and forth between 2nd wave black metal and almost breakdown styled strings and drumming. The adept weaving into something more focused then comes about after the tease as 'Beyond the Transcendental Lumines' takes the center stage proudly moving about with a sensual sway, though possessing a crushing soundscape. Also, to add to the riffing and drumming grove are ambient and industrial sounds in the backdrop that make this song stick-out amidst already memorable entries. This sonic synergy is the muscle on Proclamation ov the Black Suns, slaving for the greater outcome of the record.

The drumming is handled with much care and is very energetic with some of its best moments appearing on title track 'Proclamation ov the Black Suns' (sounds inspired by Dark Funeral). Chord progressions combine smoothly with the tremolo picking that arrive as aid to the buzzing feed of the bass in the backdrop on 'Chthonic Rites ov Fertility', being another steal for the drumming along with 'Ascension' that just obliterates the kit.

Proclamation ov the Black Suns ticks the necessary boxes where thoughtful song structures are concerned, it has the aggression, the groove, the toggle of temperament, but more-so, an identity of its own, a priceless thing to have in a supersaturated art form. And being the work of only two engineers makes Proclamation ov the Black Suns and even greater exploit.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 29, 2019.

...and the winner is: M-pire of Evil! Congratulations! But wait a moment, what have they won? To be honest, it is just the dubious price for the crudest discography of all times. The guys started with an EP with four cover songs, their second full-length features not seven, not eight, but nine (!) Venom covers and the pieces of an earlier released 7". Nobody can deny that this is absolutely moronic, although or exactly because of the fact that each member of M-pire of Evil recorded a more (Mantas) or less (Antton) huge number of albums with the British black metal legend. Not to mention the irritating fact that they released a live album (of course only with already well-known tracks) without having a sufficient amount of material.

With that said, Hell to the Holy appears as the black sheep of the family. Or, probably closer to the truth, it is the white sheep of a black family. The full-length does not suffer from lame recycling while offering ten new tracks. Unfortunately, it also shows that M-pire of Evil had good reasons to perform thousands of cover versions instead of own compositions. This is annoying, because the band has the potential to write strong pieces. Okay, the title track has initial difficulties, because its overlong intro is completely superfluous. Nevertheless, as soon as the guitars set in, the ensemble dishes up a heavily stomping mid-tempo number. (In the distance, I hear Dan Beehler screaming "Pounding Metal".) A classic metal song with a black aura, powerful vocals and a compelling chorus. Too bad that this is the only track which is exciting (once again, greetings to Dan Beehler), if I do not take the first two songs into account. The double strike at the beginning unleashes a certain fury in view of the up-tempo approach of "Hellspawn" and "Metal Messiah", their strong guitar work and the coherent overall designs. These blackened thrashers prove evidence that the British trio can create something great as long as it bundles its strengths. Yet the guys prefer to take the path of least resistance and fill the album with pretty ordinary tracks instead of showing the intention to publish a killer album.

From this it follows that the album does not cause a massive impact, not only because of the fact that the slightly sticky production also fails to enthuse the listener. Non-transparent and sometimes unpleasantly noisy, the sound matches the status of M-pire of Evil. Both remain on a rather mediocre level. This status bothers me, because a long-player with more dynamic and blistering songs like the perfectly thrashing "Metal Messiah" would have become a jewel of my collection. But now I am listening to pieces such as "Devil", which begins, don't ask me why, with slide guitars. I did not know that Satan lives in Exodus' "Cajun Hell", yet every kind of hell seems to be better than none at all. But let's stay fair, "Devil" has some fine guitar leads. It is not on a par with the highlights of Hell to the Holy, but it can trigger a little headbanging session. However, the band runs out of ideas the more the album progresses. The term half-baked fits better than any other word to describe the overall impression of this work. Decent but unspectacular tunes like "All Hail" or "Shockwave" just pass by without any interesting feature, as much as I regret it. Admittedly, the robust voice of the Demolition Man always has its charm, but this alone does not cure the uninspired compositions. Even "Snake Pit", whose musical pattern and lyrics intend to build a bridge to early Venom eruptions, cannot fully convince. Neither really funny nor chaotic, it appears as the crippled brother of songs such as "Poison" or "Teacher's Pet".

All in all, M-pire of Evil are tragic clowns who live in the past and stand in the shadow of Cronos. Instead of taking their fate into their own hands, the leading figures of the band have decided to remain at the novel string of Venom. They ignore the option that they could do it much better on their own. The result is a fairly good album, but it cannot compete with comparable outputs of their former band, for example "The Waste Lands" or "Prime Evil". Not to mention M-pire of Evil's crude discography.

Rating: 6.8 out of 10