The Tritonus Bell

Finland’s legendary death-doom metal titans Hooded Menace are back with their newest offering of morbidity.

Dreary guitars begin our descent into the Finnish catacombs with soaring guitar leads and sampled rain that concocts a soulfully emotive atmosphere to gorgeous effect. Demonic snarls ends our stunning introduction, before chugging guitar boldly jump into life. The cymbals and toms play off each other to give the rhythm a very 80s feel and timbre while forceful riffs play into the more eldritch side of things with drawn out melancholy whispering charnel energies through the mix. A juggernaut of sonic heaviness is dropped as the brooding sound of Hooded Menace in all their glory returns on top form. Cascading melodies drag us back down into an ossuarium of morbid death metal delights with the usual doom metal influences but a noticeable increase in pure heavy metal moments creeping more into the bands sound, giving us something that is unique in its dynamic. Both sombre and anthemic, this mix not only seems to be a magnificent continuation of their last album (one of my favourite post-2010 death metal releases) but also a record with a much more triumphant atmosphere. The rhythmic prowess of the album is flawless and complemented by some stunning shred-craft and soulful leads in abundance while never detracting from the mighty, menacing brutality of the gargantuan songs.

The pounding march of drums in lead single “Blood Ornaments” takes the ferocity of heyday NWOBHM rhythms and coats them in a funereal gloom, something only Hooded Menace could achieve to such grandiose and mesmerising effect. The labyrinthine sparseness borrowed from classic doom metal is obvious, as is the grisly death metal impact. Tied together by their love of traditional heavy metal, this album is definitely going to be easier to appreciate than any previous effort for all metalheads while not necessarily being any less heavy or dark. If ever a band could make a musical lamentation that one can headbang to, this is it. Clearly the years of experience amidst a mass of talented bands accumulated between the four members has led to them crafting such brilliant songs, painting a monolithic tapestry of dread and the macabre on this record, which seems to twist and turn down endless passages of unexpected shifts in sound and mood.

As we draw further to the heart of the maze, we see the soaring guitars lurch into even more grooves with a whiplash riff never far away before dissipating into atmospheric doom ecstasy. There is something transcendental about the way in which the music is woven together with so much attention to detail, yet no pretentious or pompous showing off, just truly excellent and impassioned playing. Groaning with that obscure gloominess that the Finnish bands seem to have mastered, it is an amazing feat that the songs have so much energy and power to them in the more traditional sense, together with the masterful songwriting and superb musicianship, that is what makes this album so special. In terms of production, it is a crystal clear yet not overly polished of modernised sound, taking the strengths of the band, putting them into the foreground and mixing them to achieve a powerful execution without losing any character. Andy LaRoque has captured this album in a way that only he could, taking its strengths and giving it an old school touch while not losing the originality on show at all. A truly phenomenal sound for a touching, burly and indelible record.

Hooded Menace have returned with an album that surpasses all expectations. Brooding death-doom metal with a mass of traditional heavy metal influences to weave a tale of woe in an electrifying manner. This record has ethereal atmospherics, tomb-opening savagery and fist-pounding moments in all of the tracks which altogether make for a most engaging and unforgettable listen. This return can only be described as the most marvellous Hooded Menace music to date and is absolutely not to be missed.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com