Helvetestromb “Apocalyptic Fires”
Apocalyptic Fires will be released Dec. 21st through Masters of Kaos
Helvetestromb are a demonic hybrid of thrash, crust and black metal. Formed in 2016, the band hit hard with their debut Demonic Excrements Cursed with Life. With the pounding aggression and leaving nothing in their path, the band improved on that album four years later with Assault From The Hell. Now, three years later, rising from it’s darkened slumber to wreak havoc on the masses with their new album Apocalyptic Fires on Masters of Kaos. After three years and a strong second album, does the band still have the same energy to match the speed and intensity of their previous albums? They do, and have more energy and more gas than ever before to leave so much destruction in their wake.
The album opens with “Pools of Prophecy”. Opening with blasting drums and tremolo guitars, it instantly delivers that crust punk/black metal hybrid sound so well. The guttural into shrieking highs of bassist and vocalist Jesper Tennemo gets soaked in reverb as the rest of the band still have their foot on the gas pedal. Drummer Sebastian Messa continues the speed metal heaviness throughout the rising and descending waves of guitarist Tom Oden Ahlqvist. Creating a monstrous hybrid if you combined Venom and Midnight. The bass becomes more prominent at the halfway mark of the track as it heads into the bridge. Vocals become more deranged and manic in the delivery. The riff and drums create that trademark black metal aggression, but somehow adds a groove to the song as well. Very good opening track that grabs the listener by the throat and takes you along for the ride.
“Death Storming” has that bombastic thrash/crossover energy with Messa leading the charge. With his drumming front and center from the opening moments. Interweaving itself with driving, fist-pumping thrash with cascading black metal on top creates a macabre, high-intensity track that makes almost four minutes fly by in an instance. The classic “Big 4” thrash-sounding riff after the two-minute mark nails that crossover/crust punk nostalgia you’d get from acts like S.O.D. and modern day acts like Bewitcher. I also love the bass distortion lead into the up-tempo switch-up.
The band doesn’t take their foot off the gas on the next track “I Return To The Satanic Presence”. Even faster and hostile, the band just doesn’t give you a chance to breath. I do like the addition of clean/chanting vocals on the chorus of the song. Near the two-minute mark, Tennemo sounds like he’s having a mental breakdown, before a slight musical reprieve, then he gets back to high-tempo bass playing and shredding his throat with his vocal screaming throughout the rest of the song.
“Slaves of Tjenobylon” continues the same blitzkrieg of punk drumming and distorted tremolo. Mixed in with fast-paced, speed metal-esque shredding. The bass adds that heavy undertone and keeps time with the chaotic playing. Just destruction and madness as the playing is just a tornado of speed and pissed-off blasphemy. Messa’s double bass is almost muffled in the production. Almost making the main focus being the snare and cymbals audible in the mix. And four songs in, give him an award for stamina and a towel. It has been almost all blasts, d-beats and speed for four songs straight and there’s still seven more to go.
We get some slow-down in the opening of “Total Necroarmageddon”. Bass ringing over the wall of distortion from the guitars. Creating a dark, brooding sound that creates uneasiness in atmosphere. Very atmospheric black metal in the playing, before the vocals warn the listener as the tornado ferociously picks back up. Blasting snares and the production truly give it that 90’s black metal sound. Tennemo’s shrieks to the skies instantly have that haunting and ominous delivery as Ahlqvist’s playing is just straightforward black metal that the second wave made famous with the guitar playing.
“Muscolo Satanas” has a heavily-distorted 80’s speed metal riff you’d get from early Bathory. Drums are complex, with manic fills and thunder behind the hits, before the thrash takes over. With almost gang chorus/heavily reverbed vocals on the chorus. Making a dark, crust punk style sound which I liked a lot. Another song that just flies by and it’s over.
“The Jackhammer” has gritty opening guitar, joined by Messa’s unrelenting drumming behind it. With a sound that sounds dead-on like 90’s black metal that would come off any Darkthrone or Mayhem record from that time. Unmitigated speed, ferocity and going for the jugular with their playing. I was headbobbing along with every snare hit from Messa in the chorus section. The Immortal-esque bridge section was a nice touch and a great break in the formula. Slowing down to have the vocals really echo and have presence, along with the bass.
I LOVE the opening guitar riff of “Nekrotik Mass”. Motörhead vibes right off the bat, almost veering into the death ‘n’ roll region, but still black metal with the shrieking, phlegmy vocals of Tennemo. I can picture a lot of fist-pumping during this song with the snare hits and the chant along section of the vocals. Forming a demonic call-and-response sort of effect, which is a great touch to the song. This song also shows that the band, even slowed down from 100 to 80, the band can still deliver that hostility, evil and bloodthirst without shattering the speakers or burning out in playing and energy.
“Crushed Beneath The Gaze” has a great bass mix in it. Adding a weighty underbelly to the guitars of Ahlqvist. Tennemo delivers rapid-fire, almost unintelligible vocals, but at this point, it fits the music so damn well I don’t care. I love the band toying with the tempo and playing of the song. You get some moments of crust punk, thrash/crossover bounce, and then just unadulterated blasting drums of black metal, spliced in with classic 80’s speed metal.
Drums and guitars just assault the listener in the opening of “Conclave”. Guitars and drums are almost in sync with their strikes and assault throughout the verses section. Delivering a barrage of high-octane blasts and tremolos throughout the three minute run time. Tennemo’s guttural vocals are his lowest of lows so far. The song then veers into doom metal territory around the minute thirty mark, which catches the listener off guard. Thinking “where are they going with this?”. After another cry to the sky vocal shriek, the speed intensifies again and the whole band just doesn’t let up. Closing the track out with a thrash-influenced riff and drum combo to wrap the song up.
“Chapel of Stilled Voices” closes out the album and right off the bat, the band wants to go for one more killing blow to finish the album. Continuing the sonic assault of heavy drumming and guitars, the playing captures that crust punk/black metal fusion I love. I LOVED the bass lead break before returning to the barrage, high intensity playing. Hostile, pissed off and spitting on the cross, the song swerves one last time. Adding synth elements of I think a chorus behind it, but it gets so buried in the production, it loses some of its effect. The commanding presence of the vocals during this section adds that demented preacher to his demonic congregation.
Apocalyptic Fires is just a constant and unfiltered barrage of chaos, evil, speed and depravity in nature. Helvetestromb just loves to just pummel the listener with unapologetic speed and aggression that makes you just punch a wall throughout the entire thirty-plus minute runtime. The band nails the dark undertone of black metal, along with playing around perfectly with crust punk and thrash. I can see some people stating that sometimes the songs do sound very similar or “just one song”, which I can hear that. And I do like the band playing around with other elements, like the doomy section of “Conclave” or the synths on the album’s closer. Although on the latter, they needed to be louder in the mix since it was buried by the loudness of the rest of the band. Overall, a great record that will make any fans of Midnight, Toxic Holocaust and Hellripper.
SCORE: 4 / 5
You can order the album through the Masters of Kaos Bandcamp or you can stream the album on the band’s Spotify.
