Review by Arek on January 24, 2016.

Although this album was released back in 2014 it got caught in my sticky for death metal claws in December 2015. All that thanks to the intensified promotional activities of ViaNocturna. Despite the passing of time and due to album effects it was impossible for me to leave this position without a remark. Hexenhammer is the second full length album from the band but it is the first one recorded in a five-person lineup which consists of: Karol "North" Łapczyński - vocals, Krzysztof Kiecana - guitars, Alek Szymański - guitars, Mikolaj "Total" Kujda - drums, Mateusz "Raven" Szymanek - bass. These 10 pieces of strong, meaty death metal reeking of the devil take a little less than 41 minutes but I can guarantee to all metal maniacs that this time will not be wasted.

‘By The Devils Hand’ starts with the speech of the Lord Of Darkness, just like in a good horror film and with the sound of cemetery bells of course. It may not be particularly original, but it’s sooooo meaty. This section, those vocals, they make you want to listen. ‘Children Of Pestilence’ was vocally enhanced by Andrzej Analripper Papież (Sphere, Pyorrhoea, Revelation Of Doom), and video released for it supports the promotion of the album quite nicely. Rapid onset, release, acceleration, breakdown and then acceleration again, here comes another track from the CD, this is ‘We Were Born In The Eye Of The Storm’. Like most of the numbers on the disc, that one is mainly kept in medium tempos with a great melodic theme. ‘Masquerade In The House Of God’ was partially decorated with a movie theme and incidentally, greatly intermixes climate to a piece. It’s a perfect example of production professionalism. In ‘Baptized In Blood’ Artur "Chudy" Chudewniaks (Trauma) throat makes an ‘appearance’. It's one of the faster numbers with a great breakdown and solo in its second part of the song, and the ticking cymbals portend something disturbing. ‘Black Tongue Lithany’ begins with an interesting classical guitar prelude and for a variety; this is the most moody track on the album in which only drum work breaks its convention sometimes. ‘Bloodwritten’ is a fast, less than two-minute shot in the mouth preceded by the Wolf's Hour announcement from classic horror films. Turtle-speed beginning for the ‘Eight Winds Of Chaos’ has a recurring motif and reminds me of the work of Morbid Angel. The penultimate ‘Carnal Apostasy’ is just another injection of blood energy, which, according to a mathematical scheme, should foretell something slower. Nothing could be more wrong, Incarnal is not math, it’s five guys that grew up listening to older guys from bands like Immolation, Vital Remains, Morbid Angel, etc. Marching ‘Oath Of The Damned’ entertains our manic ears with death metal thumps.

So here goes 41 minutes of death metal a'la Incarnal. I know that many nay-sayers will raise a cry, that this album is nothing new, but I have this talk deep in the abyss of my rectum, because, although you can actually indicate a clear influence of certain bands, I know that Hexenhammer is an interesting and honest album torn from honest hearts and guts of these five Poles. I’m with those guys and I will wait patiently for another piece of meaty death metal from them.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Arek on January 24, 2016.

Although this album was released back in 2014 it got caught in my sticky for death metal claws in December 2015. All that thanks to the intensified promotional activities of ViaNocturna. Despite the passing of time and due to album effects it was impossible for me to leave this position without a remark. Hexenhammer is the second full length album from the band but it is the first one recorded in a five-person lineup which consists of: Karol "North" Łapczyński - vocals, Krzysztof Kiecana - guitars, Alek Szymański - guitars, Mikolaj "Total" Kujda - drums, Mateusz "Raven" Szymanek - bass. These 10 pieces of strong, meaty death metal reeking of the devil take a little less than 41 minutes but I can guarantee to all metal maniacs that this time will not be wasted.

‘By The Devils Hand’ starts with the speech of the Lord Of Darkness, just like in a good horror film and with the sound of cemetery bells of course. It may not be particularly original, but it’s sooooo meaty. This section, those vocals, they make you want to listen. ‘Children Of Pestilence’ was vocally enhanced by Andrzej Analripper Papież (Sphere, Pyorrhoea, Revelation Of Doom), and video released for it supports the promotion of the album quite nicely. Rapid onset, release, acceleration, breakdown and then acceleration again, here comes another track from the CD, this is ‘We Were Born In The Eye Of The Storm’. Like most of the numbers on the disc, that one is mainly kept in medium tempos with a great melodic theme. ‘Masquerade In The House Of God’ was partially decorated with a movie theme and incidentally, greatly intermixes climate to a piece. It’s a perfect example of production professionalism. In ‘Baptized In Blood’ Artur "Chudy" Chudewniaks (Trauma) throat makes an ‘appearance’. It's one of the faster numbers with a great breakdown and solo in its second part of the song, and the ticking cymbals portend something disturbing. ‘Black Tongue Lithany’ begins with an interesting classical guitar prelude and for a variety; this is the most moody track on the album in which only drum work breaks its convention sometimes. ‘Bloodwritten’ is a fast, less than two-minute shot in the mouth preceded by the Wolf's Hour announcement from classic horror films. Turtle-speed beginning for the ‘Eight Winds Of Chaos’ has a recurring motif and reminds me of the work of Morbid Angel. The penultimate ‘Carnal Apostasy’ is just another injection of blood energy, which, according to a mathematical scheme, should foretell something slower. Nothing could be more wrong, Incarnal is not math, it’s five guys that grew up listening to older guys from bands like Immolation, Vital Remains, Morbid Angel, etc. Marching ‘Oath Of The Damned’ entertains our manic ears with death metal thumps.

So here goes 41 minutes of death metal a'la Incarnal. I know that many nay-sayers will raise a cry, that this album is nothing new, but I have this talk deep in the abyss of my rectum, because, although you can actually indicate a clear influence of certain bands, I know that Hexenhammer is an interesting and honest album torn from honest hearts and guts of these five Poles. I’m with those guys and I will wait patiently for another piece of meaty death metal from them.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Arek on January 24, 2016.

Although this album was released back in 2014 it got caught in my sticky for death metal claws in December 2015. All that thanks to the intensified promotional activities of ViaNocturna. Despite the passing of time and due to album effects it was impossible for me to leave this position without a remark. Hexenhammer is the second full length album from the band but it is the first one recorded in a five-person lineup which consists of: Karol "North" Łapczyński - vocals, Krzysztof Kiecana - guitars, Alek Szymański - guitars, Mikolaj "Total" Kujda - drums, Mateusz "Raven" Szymanek - bass. These 10 pieces of strong, meaty death metal reeking of the devil take a little less than 41 minutes but I can guarantee to all metal maniacs that this time will not be wasted.

‘By The Devils Hand’ starts with the speech of the Lord Of Darkness, just like in a good horror film and with the sound of cemetery bells of course. It may not be particularly original, but it’s sooooo meaty. This section, those vocals, they make you want to listen. ‘Children Of Pestilence’ was vocally enhanced by Andrzej Analripper Papież (Sphere, Pyorrhoea, Revelation Of Doom), and video released for it supports the promotion of the album quite nicely. Rapid onset, release, acceleration, breakdown and then acceleration again, here comes another track from the CD, this is ‘We Were Born In The Eye Of The Storm’. Like most of the numbers on the disc, that one is mainly kept in medium tempos with a great melodic theme. ‘Masquerade In The House Of God’ was partially decorated with a movie theme and incidentally, greatly intermixes climate to a piece. It’s a perfect example of production professionalism. In ‘Baptized In Blood’ Artur "Chudy" Chudewniaks (Trauma) throat makes an ‘appearance’. It's one of the faster numbers with a great breakdown and solo in its second part of the song, and the ticking cymbals portend something disturbing. ‘Black Tongue Lithany’ begins with an interesting classical guitar prelude and for a variety; this is the most moody track on the album in which only drum work breaks its convention sometimes. ‘Bloodwritten’ is a fast, less than two-minute shot in the mouth preceded by the Wolf's Hour announcement from classic horror films. Turtle-speed beginning for the ‘Eight Winds Of Chaos’ has a recurring motif and reminds me of the work of Morbid Angel. The penultimate ‘Carnal Apostasy’ is just another injection of blood energy, which, according to a mathematical scheme, should foretell something slower. Nothing could be more wrong, Incarnal is not math, it’s five guys that grew up listening to older guys from bands like Immolation, Vital Remains, Morbid Angel, etc. Marching ‘Oath Of The Damned’ entertains our manic ears with death metal thumps.

So here goes 41 minutes of death metal a'la Incarnal. I know that many nay-sayers will raise a cry, that this album is nothing new, but I have this talk deep in the abyss of my rectum, because, although you can actually indicate a clear influence of certain bands, I know that Hexenhammer is an interesting and honest album torn from honest hearts and guts of these five Poles. I’m with those guys and I will wait patiently for another piece of meaty death metal from them.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on January 26, 2024.

Despite the fact that I have heard people talking about the australian black metal band Deadspace for quite some time, I still regret not taking any free time to properly sit and listen to their music. However, despite this major flaw, I have decided to give it a go with their seventh full-length album Unveiling The Palest Truth, released on September 22nd, 2023 via Immortal Frost Productions.

Slowly building up with the opening two-minute track 'Enter The Valley Of The Dead', we kick the hornet's nest with the following track 'Within His Wretched Tomb', where we get a glimpse of what will be the pivotal point of this album. This album is predominantly characterized by diabolic black metal with dissonant guitar chords and tremolo riffs, double-bass drumming and tormented screaming harsh vocals. Upon listening to each song, you will notice that the music conveys a very macabre and gothic atmosphere, followed by feelings of despair, misanthropy and utter misery that has a nice and fluent shift between sections.

The songwriting is for the most part very traditional in the black metal sense, however it still manages to be both dynamic and complex with the overall arrangements. As with the general atmosphere, the riffs also nicely shift with the rhythmic changes, without breaking away the established vibe of the song. The only real downside to this album is that the delight of immersing yourself within the atmosphere lasts so shortly, mostly due to the fact that the tracklist consists of a total of 5 songs, whereas the overall length comes around to 23 and a half minutes. I will not lie to you, the overall length makes it feel more like it's an EP rather than a full-length, since it quickly jumps to its conclusion before you even knew what was going on. Another issue I have with the album is that once it reaches the final track 'A Feast For The Rats', it just ends without any grand payoff that really makes you think that this was so worth it. Aside from these issues, I still think that you will be able to enjoy the album for what it is and fully experience its charms. The album's production provides a strong and crunchy guitar tone combined with destructive sounding bass and drums, alongside the vocals with a bit of reverb that feel like "tormented cries from a distance".

Personally, it did feel like it was a bit lackluster once it reached its end, however I still think that it was worth the go. Even though I think the band could have done way better by adding just a couple of more tracks to keep the general vibe of the album going, I consider it a nice and fun thrillride that in 23 minutes manages to grab your attention and keep it going all throughout every song. Some fans of Deadspace might feel a bit disappointed about this, however I think that this is just a calm before the storm, and that the band's next output will be even greater.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on January 26, 2024.

Despite the fact that I have heard people talking about the australian black metal band Deadspace for quite some time, I still regret not taking any free time to properly sit and listen to their music. However, despite this major flaw, I have decided to give it a go with their seventh full-length album Unveiling The Palest Truth, released on September 22nd, 2023 via Immortal Frost Productions.

Slowly building up with the opening two-minute track 'Enter The Valley Of The Dead', we kick the hornet's nest with the following track 'Within His Wretched Tomb', where we get a glimpse of what will be the pivotal point of this album. This album is predominantly characterized by diabolic black metal with dissonant guitar chords and tremolo riffs, double-bass drumming and tormented screaming harsh vocals. Upon listening to each song, you will notice that the music conveys a very macabre and gothic atmosphere, followed by feelings of despair, misanthropy and utter misery that has a nice and fluent shift between sections.

The songwriting is for the most part very traditional in the black metal sense, however it still manages to be both dynamic and complex with the overall arrangements. As with the general atmosphere, the riffs also nicely shift with the rhythmic changes, without breaking away the established vibe of the song. The only real downside to this album is that the delight of immersing yourself within the atmosphere lasts so shortly, mostly due to the fact that the tracklist consists of a total of 5 songs, whereas the overall length comes around to 23 and a half minutes. I will not lie to you, the overall length makes it feel more like it's an EP rather than a full-length, since it quickly jumps to its conclusion before you even knew what was going on. Another issue I have with the album is that once it reaches the final track 'A Feast For The Rats', it just ends without any grand payoff that really makes you think that this was so worth it. Aside from these issues, I still think that you will be able to enjoy the album for what it is and fully experience its charms. The album's production provides a strong and crunchy guitar tone combined with destructive sounding bass and drums, alongside the vocals with a bit of reverb that feel like "tormented cries from a distance".

Personally, it did feel like it was a bit lackluster once it reached its end, however I still think that it was worth the go. Even though I think the band could have done way better by adding just a couple of more tracks to keep the general vibe of the album going, I consider it a nice and fun thrillride that in 23 minutes manages to grab your attention and keep it going all throughout every song. Some fans of Deadspace might feel a bit disappointed about this, however I think that this is just a calm before the storm, and that the band's next output will be even greater.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10