The Tritonus Bell

For the past thirteen years, Hooded Menace has been making statements in underground extreme metal with their horror-themed brand of putrid, cryptic, and brutal death/doom metal. I first discovered this band thanks to Blayne Smith from BANGERTV and I haven't regretted it at all. Fantastic music, evil guitar tones, and memorable riffs. I own two of their albums in my collection (Never Cross the Dead and Effigies of Evil) and I love those albums. So, when I heard Hooded Menace had a new album coming in 2021, I got excited. Now, it is here, The Tritonus Bell has arrived.

This album was produced by Andy LaRocque of King Diamond and it shows as everything was amped up times eleven, production wise. I love how this album begins with a melodic intro track, "Chthonic Exordium," as it reminds me a bit of Metallica to an extent. As the track ended with the thunder and the backwards growling, I knew I was in for quite a ride for the next 40 minutes. Tracks such as "Chime Diabolicus," "Blood Ornaments," "Those Who Absorb the Night," and "Scattered into Dark" retain Hooded Menace's trademark death/doom sound, while adding in some classic 80s' heavy metal melodies that remind me of bands like Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, and Judas Priest. While tracks such as "Corpus Asunder" had more galloping grooves attached and less of the doom atmosphere of the rest of the album. However, it still represents diversity within the album as far as songwriting goes. Even the cover of W.A.S.P.'s "The Torture Never Stops" was quite unique as they took an 80s' glam metal track and made it into their own.

At times, this album felt like a melodic death metal album, while other times, it felt like an old school death metal album. It makes for a wild rollercoaster ride of a listen. The guitar tone is thick and heavy. The riffs are quite memorable on here as well. The drum work is excellent. The bass tone is filthy and chugging. The vocals sound like a mixture of Dan Swano, David Vincent, and Corpsegrinder, which is quite the unique combination for a vocal style. Before Harri Kuokkanen became the vocalist, Hooded Menace had Lasse Pyykko on vocals, and his vocals were more reminiscent of Frank Mullen, Peter Tagtgren, and Mikael Akerfeldt. I love how Harri brings in his own flare to the vocals and doesn't try to do what Lasse did before. This album especially, Harri's vocals shine through.

Overall, The Tritonus Bell is about as perfect of an album as you can get. As I wrote this review, I ordered the album for myself. For those who love death/doom reminiscent of Asphyx, Autopsy, early Paradise Lost, and Coffins, you will love this album. Buy it if you can.