Review of Blodsrit - Helveteshymner

Well, here it is. The award for the greatest introduction to a black metal album ever. And what is it? It's the sound of a music box, played off-tempo, in one of the most eerie fashions I've ever heard. It's frightening, taking you by surprise, once the maniacal outbreak of Blodsrit actually escapes it's confines and floods your speakers.

With their polished progressions, somewhat similar to Carpathian Forest, these Swedes find a great balance of melody and treble-laden aggression. Their thick and dreary mid-tempo passages, like the ones on "Vanmakt", could even draw comparisons to Aeternus, or sort of a more simplistic and less riff-oriented Dissection. Managing to create a genuinely more dark and depressing sound than a lot of modern acts, Blodsrit relies on slower rhythms and more grandiose structure during the aggressive parts. "Illdjarn", incorporating the only clean sung vocals on the album, has a familiar sound that could be best traced back to some of the better acts of the late 90's. The vocal addition adds a doomy layer to the sound on the whole, and hopefully the band will recognize what an outstanding sound they've created and will feature more of this style in their next release. It's almost sad that by the time it appears, the Helveteshymner is coming to a close. Officially, it's the last track, however, they've also included a decent cover of Candlemass' "Solitude", and a bonus track entitled "Praise Suicide", which is quite good.

Although recorded in the wildly successful Soundlab Studios by none other than Miezsko Talarczyk of Nasum, the sound of Helveteshymner will appease the average black metal enthusiast without alienating those out there who appreciate clarity. The album could do without as many fade-outs, as it takes away some of the intensity of the record.

Blodsrit aren't reinventing the wheel - but that's okay as far as most of us are concerned. Although there's a surprising amount of variation for the genre, what they're really doing is reinforcing and continuing the Swedish tradition of releasing top-quality black metal. Congratulations to the band and to Oaken Shield/Adipocere Records for another enjoyable record.

Release Details

Blodsrit

Helveteshymner

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