Review by Carl on December 24, 2022.

Man, does this album open with a great intro that transports you straight to Scandinavia in the mid 90's! A church bell tolls, crows are cawing their warning of calamity to come, while desolate winds sweep the abandoned landscape that surrounds the ruins of an ancient castle. It is exactly the type of intro a black metal album by the likes of early Immortal or Dark Funeral would have opened up with. It's an impression that gets mercilessly blown to bloody crud once the band launches into their first song.

Hellfire Deathcult projectile vomits up a punishing dose of bestial black/death metal, straight into the listener's face. You probably know the drill: with Blasphemy at the root, and other influences coming from such acts as Archgoat, Black Witchery and early Incantation, Hellfire Deathcult lash out hard. A good part of the music rages forth with blasting fury, with down-tuned riffing, machine gun percussion and gurgling vocals fighting for the listeners attention, with little to no room for unnecessary frills or hints of melody. At times the band opts for pounding slower sections as well, ensuring a certain degree of variation and tension, keeping the whole intersting throughout. For the war metal style, this is a pretty varied album, it has to be said. All this sonic barbarity comes together in a production that sounds as thick and heavy as your mom's aunt Imelda, and as a whole this album seethes with barely controlled aggression, with spot-on playing that manages to preserve the unhinged chaotic feel music like this has to emanate. Powerful stuff, this is!

Detractors of the style probably would say that this all sounds as one long song, but a seasoned listener would hear the variation in here. Hellfire Deathcult have released a well above average war metal album that in no way is reinventing the wheel, but has enough aggression and power oozing from it to convince every war metal fanatic out there. Recommended stuff!

By the way, did I already mention that the intro is pretty rad as well?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on December 3, 2019.

There is a feeling that recalls Baroness on this album.  It has that folk element, but also a groove that is unmistakable.  The entire thing rocks your socks off with gripping guitar riffing.  There is also a stoner element to the band that makes them seem somewhat doomy, even though they are far too light for that genre.  But still, the music is very authentic sounding and features a good deal of feel good riffs for the listener’s comfort.  

How does Bask compare to the best of Baroness?  Well, they are lighter than that and function out of a different pocket, but still have the groove that band holds in such high regard.  There are a lot of lighter moments on the album when sparse guitars are used and the vocals reflect the mood.  III is a very chill album and a nice one to relax to for a metal release.  Mind you, the album is still metal with distinctly challenging and sometimes heavy song structures.  The element of feeling good is reflected in the fact that the band seems to be having a great deal of fun playing the songs.  Even from the opener Three White Feet, one can detect a fun and loose vibe to the band that carries out through the rest of the album.  The outfit seems to feel the riffs and this makes them more convincing and memorable.  The album is still not perfect and suffers from the syndrome of having been there and done that.  There simply isn’t anything here that Baroness has done perhaps slightly better and this leads to a deja vu feeling.  

Still, this is such a jubilant and fun recording that you’ll be able to overlook this small flaw in favour of the passionate and enjoyable songs found here.  Fans of Baroness should rejoice because they have a similar band, Bask, that surpasses their album from this year, even though it doesn’t overtake past works.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10