Long ago the Ukrainian extreme metal band Hell:On established their musical philosophy, and in the nearly two decades since their formation in Zaporizhzhia they have stayed steady, only sharpening their swords and their magicks and magnifying the power of their delivery.
“Atmospheric death metal” is one way of describing their music, a way of trying to capture their union of high-powered death metal ferocity, oriental melodies, and “tribal” ingredients, which create mystical, shamanic shades of light and darkness.
This union is on full display in their new album, which fittingly is named Shaman. It was intended for release two years ago, but then the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted those plans, and of course life as a whole in their country. But now they have a May 17th release date via Archivist Records and we begin to see the fruits of their creative endeavors.
On the new album they have remained steady, still devoted to the core of their sound as described above, but with more tribal percussion, throat singing, and acoustic instruments this time. By terrible coincidence, the harrowing war afflicting their homeland has given the spirit of the music and lyrics an even more intense resonance. As the band have said:
“This album had to be released two years ago, but a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has put our entire life on hold. Nowadays, due to our Armed Forces, we try to go on living and creating. I am sure that the spirit of this struggle was reflected in this work. It is hidden somewhere among the strings of the guitars, in the echoes of shamanic tribal vocals and flashes of ritual fires.”
We have a striking example of all this in the lyric video we’re premiering today for a song off Shaman named “He With the Horse’s Head“.
The lyrics invite the listener to “dive into the vortex of one thousand hooves” and “to hear the horns of the kingdom”. And the music feels exactly like that. It’s relentlessly intense and hard-charging, thunderous and jolting, but it also blazes with ferocious grandeur. The mighty roaring vocals are themselves striking in their fierce passion.
But beginning with the opening solo, Hell:On also bring in ancient and exotic melodies, enhanced by acoustic instrumentation. The music swirls and blares, accented by the squeal of scraped strings. Both esoteric magic and exhilarating madness flower and flow in the sensations of the music, reaching a fever pitch with another guitar solo and the advent of wrenching snarls and fervent chants.
It’s the kind of song that takes your breath away from start to finish, and the sights of the video’s crazed protagonist add to the song’s elements of derangement and delirium. As for its conception, the band tell us this about the song:
“This track is a mystical initiation, a hymn to the unity of the human and animal worlds. One of the key songs for understanding the concept of the whole album.”
Shaman includes seven other songs in addition to this one, and the song titles suggest that it follows an inner spiritual progression toward a new dawn and a new path.
For more info about the album and to order it, check the links below — and then also check out the previously released official video we’ve included for another song from Shaman, “When The Wild Wind And The Soul Of Fire Meet“.
PRE-ORDER:
https://hellonband.bandcamp.com/album/shaman
STREAM:
https://flow.page/hellon
HELL:ON:
https://www.hell-on.net
https://www.instagram.com/hellon_official_band
https://www.facebook.com/HellonOfficial