AN NCS PREMIERE: HELLISH GRAVE — “HELL NO LONGER WAITS”

 

Writing about any song on Hellish Grave‘s new album, Hell No Longer Waits, inevitably involves spoilers, because they’re all so surprising. The music has a backbone of racing, riotous black thrash, packed to the gills with pulse-pounding riffs and head-hammering rhythms, but as good as this Brazilian band are at pulling out the stops and getting our adrenaline surging, they’re obviously not satisfied with that alone. They’ve obviously got other musical interests and influences, and in their songwriting they’ve given free reign to them, which makes this album stand out from the usual black thrashing barbarism of most of their peers.

Hell No Longer Waits will be released on May 31st by Helldprod. One song from the album, “Macabre Worship“, has already debuted. If you’ve heard it, you’ll already understand what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, you’ll get your chance down below. And on top of that spectacular song we’re now adding another — the title track. If you want to be surprised (as well as invigorated, like stepping on a live power line), just go straight to the streams and enjoy them. If you don’t mind spoilers, read on.

 

 

The title track is in part an excellent illustration of the prime strength of Hellish Grave‘s music: It demonstrates their skill at thrashing like wild demon beasts, and shows their adventurous spirit even when they’re doing that. The song opens in explosive fashion, with a riot of vigorous pounding drums (laced with bursts of impressive high-speed acrobatics), booming bass notes, roiling tremolo’d guitar delirium (spiced with skittering leads), and cruel, cold-blooded roars.

But without diminishing the evil, fireball energy of the music, the band change things up as they fly, moving into a grim slashing riff and hammering drum-and-bass rhythms, interspersed with bursts of grandiose melody (which hints at the band’s obvious love for classic heavy metal) and a skirling, shrieking solo. And then a brazen, blazing riff segues into a crescendo of lunatic chaos, all screaming guitars, maniacal (and still muscular) bass, and unchained drumming.

Now for the spoiler: For the song’s finale, the band shift without warning into a soft, classically-influenced guitar instrumental with a medieval atmosphere that’s both moody and mesmerizing. It’s an abrupt change, rather than a natural one, but I loved the idea anyway.

As for that previously released track, “Macabre Worship“, it even more vividly combines black thrashing ferocity with glorious, anthemic heavy metal. It begins and ends as racing chaos, and in the middle (spoiler alert) it soars into the clouds with a spectacular guitar solo which lasts for nearly half the song. Both glorious and bewitching, that solo cries out to be performed in a giant arena.

 

 

If you read the press materials for the album you’ll see, on the one hand, a reference to influences such as Vulcano, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Venom, and Nifelheim, and on the other hand you’ll also see references to the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, and Mercyful Fate — and that combination of references provides further clues (and spoilers) to what you’ll find on Hell No Longer Awaits. If you like the sounds below, you’ll definitely want to pick up the whole album, which you can do here:

PRE-ORDER:
https://helldprod.bandcamp.com/album/hellish-grave-hell-no-longer-waits-2019
http://www.helldprod.com/

HELLISH GRAVE:
https://www.facebook.com/Hellish-Grave-183470245074320/

TRACK LIST:
1. Transilvanian Nights (Instrumental)
2. In Nomine Draculae
3. Revenant Awakening
4. Possessed By The Witch
5. Over My Haunted Pact
6. Macabre Worship
7. Lust For Youth
8. Locomotive Blast
9. Hell No Longer Waits
10. Soldiers Of Hell *European edition exclusive song.