Band: Black Pestilence
Album: Hail The Flesh
Label: Self Release
Genre: Black Metal/Punk
If you've been on the hunt for a good rage band, Black Pestilence may be just the thing for you. Hailing from Calgary, Canada, Black Pestilence are set to release their sixth full length record, Hail The Flesh, on May the 1st. If you couldn't guess from the album title, or perhaps from the awesome artwork that graces the cover, Hail The Flesh is overtly about celebrating the carnal lifestyle on earth.
Let's talk about the music. The tempo is breakneck all throughout, bringing a punky vibe to it. It sounds chaotic at first, but when you start to break down the various passages throughout the tracks you'll find that each instrument has their own lyrical purpose to them. They play a crusty version of black 'n' roll would be the best way to describe what I'm hearing, along the veins of Toxic Holocaust or Midnight.
The strong points of their music is bassist/vocalist Vax's songwriting, cause damn, he can write a good hook! Before the first song, which is also the title track, was over I found myself singing along with it. You'll find this common theme throughout, from "Hail The Flesh" to "Godless."
"Hail The Flesh" kicks things off at a breakneck speed with a nasty crunchy chord right at the first second. Not soon after Vax's vocals ring in with his biting sound. "Spurn All Gods" starts off very much the same way as the last, although quickly we are treated to a slight synth sound that feels like a machine rebooting. This second track sounds lyrically to be a bit more of the classic black metal vibe, speaking of heroes that are dead inside, burning crosses and such.
"Hellfire" is where I find myself drawn to more at the start with that wonderful bit of bass. Because of that, this one has the most punk-esque feeling right from the start. And of course, that chorus of "hell, hellfire, chase, desire!" Catchy as hell and gets me singing along to it after my first listen. We also get treated to a nasty guitar solo from Daniel Toews towards the later half of the track.
Track four "True To The Dark" kicks off with Davey Hellfire wailing on the skins. This song is very much a call to arms for the whole theme of the album, with lines like "true to the dark, forever marked, Satan we align!" Track five on the album, "Cloven Division," has some of the more chaotic energy on the record. Despite the fact that it seems as though all the pieces of the band are doing their own thing on this, if you listen further you'll see that each part - bass, guitars, drums - are all exactly where they should be. At the 2:25 mark of the track they meld together into a tasty nasty riff.
"Godless" has some of my favorite traditional chord progressions on the album, as well as some of my favorite bass lines. Valax's samples also shine on this track in a disgusting way that makes your face scrunch up. Track seven "Frauds To The Throne" has some of my favorite lyrical lines on the whole record. The entire track has some very well written lines from Valax, but when he comes in hollering lines like "frauds to the throne, veracity, unknown," it just sounds great.
"My Will To Power" is track eight, and once again we are treated to that lovely chunky bass from Valax and more of his samples tastefully placed. The final track name, "Ephemeral," translates loosely to not lasting a long time. While this isn't quite the case for the record itself weighing in at over half an hour with nine songs, the theme is more in accordance with our time on earth as the mortals that we are. It's also humorous in that this is the longest track on the record weighing in at 6:42.
I find myself enjoying more and more on a weekly basis bands that incorporate punk into their sound, whether the final product be death 'n' roll or black 'n' roll, or any of the other myriad of combinations that are out there. That being said, Hail The Flesh is right up my alley with what you'd probably find me listening to on a daily basis. If you haven't checked out Black Pestilence before, watch their video for track two, "Spurn All Gods," below.
I'm giving Hail The Flesh a 8.5/10
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