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| #FOR FANS OF: Black Metal, Dark Funeral, Satyricon |
Going straight into the fray, German two-man black metal sect Hoaxbane take a socially critical position, hostile towards all manipulative ideologies which seek to achieve a superficial, conformist, consumer society. That means employing a charging, explosive traditional black metal approach to their music, with explosive tremolo-picked rhythms and a generally up-tempo attitude that offers plenty of furious, deep riffing with some nice melodic accents along the way with plenty of nice drum-blasts and the nice bit of varied dynamics to make for a wholly appealing time here. A few of the tracks aren’t that impressive and there’s plenty of repetitious rhythms running rampant here as it tends to reuse itself quite often to sell the same general paces and tempos but overall there’s more to like here against the flaws. The opening title track immediately blasts through explosive drumming and up-tempo swirling tremolo-picked patterns that settle on a sprawling series of galloping rhythms around into a frenzied series of rhythms in the final half for a fantastic opening effort. ‘Bloodshed’ features a slow-building intro into a series of extravagant swirling tremolo patterns that continue on throughout the up-tempo paces with striking drum-patterns blasting along with the fiery riffing carrying along the finale for a fun, explosive highlight. ‘Diagnose Wahnsinn’ opens with blasting drumming and tight swirling tremolo rhythms along into a tight gallop with more massive sprawling rhythms held throughout the sprawling, majestic patterns flowing throughout the final half for a decent enough effort. ‘Element of Truth’ offers a melodic series of swirling tremolo riffing and plenty of plodding drumming that works through a fine melodic series of rhythms with the sprawling patterns holding this one along into the up-tempo blasting in the finale for another decent effort. ‘Erotic Aphyxiation’ uses tight blasting and swirling mid-tempo riff-work with furious patterns charging along throughout the tight, charging paces with plenty of deep swirling arrangements alongside the pounding drumming that carries into the final half for another standout highlight. ‘Asylum of Faith’ utilizes blistering double-bass blasting and a steady, mid-tempo rhythm charging along with the tight drum-work holding this one through the full-on, frantic riff-work moving through the militaristic patterns in the tight pace into the finale for a great highlight. ‘Welcoming Pain’ moves past the spoken-word intro to a light, sprawling plodding-style tempo with light melodic riffing weaving around the light rhythms with the occasional burst into frenzied patterns and tight blasting that moves in spurts through the final half for a solid if still weakest track here. ‘Secrets of My Cravings’ uses tight, explosive tremolo pattern riff-work and frantic blasting that holds the pacing along the relentless full-throttle tempos as the furious riffing and charging drum-blasts relentless move through the agonized, sprawling finale that’s utterly devastating at first before a weak ending. Lastly, album-closer ‘Versager der Evolution’ takes explosive, furious drumming and sprawling tremolo patterns into the stylish series of frantic galloping tempos that feature swirling melodic patterns and blasting drumming along into the final half for an enjoyable lasting impression. Again, only a few minor areas hold this one back. (Don Anelli)
(Mighty Music - 2015)
Score: 85