Hellbutcher – Hellbutcher

Don’t you ever feel that Black Metal is sometimes kind of stale? As if you’ve heard it all before? I don’t mean combined styles like Black/Folk, Black/Post, Blackened Death—those seem to be doing well. However, pure Black Metal can be more predictable than your morning routine. It’s almost as if there’s some edge lacking on the blade. Nifelheim was a project that understood this and added real excitement to this old formula. From its ashes rises Hellbutcher, a bit of a super band by Swedish standards (even if it’s technically a solo project). I know that “solo” and “super” at the same time might make you nervous, but should we give Hellbutcher the benefit of the doubt?

Speed and vertigo! Despite its long career, Hellbutcher keeps you at the edge of your seat constantly. The album feels like a spear cutting through the air at the speed of sound. It’s sharp and straightforward. It takes the aggression of classic acts like Bathory and Venom, but it also feels as modern as Necropanther or Kvaen. I love that it has a Heavy Metal vibe that never becomes too indulgent or devolves into dadcore. It sticks to a no-nonsense attitude that respects tradition, but with enough small changes to be refreshing. It’s cool Black Metal devoid of the edgelord mentality; it’s not pretentious, and that makes it so much fun!

The guitar work is just fire! You wanted to play like this when you were 14, tried, uploaded it on YouTube, only to get 10 views, create a fake account to comment on your own video, say “this is kvlt!” and then proceed to feel the weight of failure. Almost every track here sounds like it could start or end an album on its own. You know, it has those blasting riffs at the end that you hear when bands are closing a set at a concert. Now imagine that all the time. Maybe it’s not your thing, but it’s definitely hard to sustain that level of engagement. Luckily, Hellbutcher manages, but there are a few things to consider before you wrap yourself up in cheap leather.

This isn’t exactly emotionally complex or deep; it’s fun Black Metal full of explosions, but don’t expect to have a poetic experience. Also, the middle of the album is slightly thinner in quality than the beginning and the end. You could argue that Hellbutcher follows a safe formula in this release, as in it’s not taking too many risks. If it’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it. Hence, many of you will feel like Nifelheim never left, but maybe that’s positive in your books.

Hellbutcher has achieved a solid passing of the torch. It won’t surprise anyone familiar with this style, but it can certainly keep your faith in pure Black Metal alive for a little longer. I’m not sure how many new fans it’ll conquer, but there’s no way this album is going to alienate the old fans. Sometimes, you need a fun and reliable band to cope with the dullness of your ephemeral existence.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release Date: 31 May, 2024

Website: https://www.facebook.com/hellbutcherband/

Country: Sweden

Score: a speed run in hell, or 3.5/5.0 if you lack self-estimate