Let me be straightforward with you. Every record the RMR crew touched so far with sitar-infested shamanesque vibes was a failure. Either it wasn’t up to par or the lofty goals of the band were a tad too high-strung for their own good. Meaning, most of the culprits didn’t even make it over the threshold over here, but some like Saturnian Mist actually did.
So, the review desk didn’t have high hopes for Hell:On‘s latest record1, and the piece was thus already confined to the oubliette before it even garnered a closer look from the powers that be. Speak about unfair treatment, right? To add insult to injury, procrastination ensued, and – well – the rest is history. But – luckily – the crew got to it just about in time.
As the slightly amended saying goes, never judge a record by its first flimsy listen. Because, lo and behold, once Shaman truly hit our music machine for real, all crew members started to congregate about the loudspeaker. Hell:On mercilessly slam you with their unapologetic brand of Death Metal. A relentless no-nonsense assault starting right at the beginning. One that never ceases until the very last note peters out. Now, if you’d argue that we had this before, you’re dead on. Brutal Death Metal, powerful meaty riffs, unrelentant growls, and blast beats to pound you into the dust. It’s the bread and butter of any one of those beastly Death Metal bands out there.
Shaman begs to differ, though. And that’s exactly what the RMR crew was looking for. The foundation of sturdy Death Metal brutality is set, true. Then the band added an artful collection of typical shamanesque and truly hypnotic drone singing and various oriental instruments. Now, again, other bands already had that idea, of course. But I haven’t yet found any outfit able to seamlessly integrate oriental folk instruments into a flaming-hot substratum of Extreme Metal. The sitar, for instance, always kinda sat astray from the rest of the production until now like a third leg you have no use for. Yet, Hell:On made the instrument sound as if it were part of the overall metal arrangement, like your everyday electric guitar. And this homogenous fusion of archaic instruments into a Death Metal arrangement ain’t like any we have seen to date.
So, we got ourselves an almost perfect mix of oriental folk instruments, growls, croaks, and that terrible drone. Fueled by hefty riffing and often outstanding solos (Tearing Winds of Innerself, for example). A heavy stomp often reminiscent of Fantasy Metal records bemoaning one of those infamous novels. And this even renders the fist-pumping rhythmic come-ons tailor-made for live shows on some songs palatable. In other words, I couldn’t find anything truly out of place on Shaman. The only quibble being that – at times – the vocals seem to sit a tad too far back in the mix.
So, what’s the difference between the aforementioned Saturnian Mist piece and this one? Well, Shaman delivers an almost perfect slice of ferocious and often artfully blackened Death Metal. All of that comes with a spicy garnish of oriental acoustics and an avalanche of shamanesque drone and rough-hewn growling. But it ain’t the good ol’ idea of integrating folksy stuff into an Extreme Metal piece that made us hook on to this record. Hell:On‘s almost dreamlike proficiency to fuse the vilest of metal with shamanesque divinity sold the piece to us. To the point that some of the parts of Shaman truly seem to sport those hypnotic and trance-like qualities the shaman lore so aggressively pushes.
But be warned, esteemed music traveler. This record ain’t for n00bs of metal delights. Enter at your own peril and – by all means – give it enough time to mature. One listen only just won’t do. And if you do that, Shaman will turn into the gift that keeps on giving. Now, have at it. This is one outstanding record.
Ed’s note: And the record made it onto the 2024 Top 10 Records. Congrats!
Record Rating: 9/10 | Label: Archivist Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 17 May 2024
- None at all, actually. -Ed.-↩