Swedish occult blackmetallers Chalice of Blood live secluded in a kind of shadow. This act was formed in 2005; both the exact place of origin of the band and the identity of the members are unknown; one certainty is that Chalice of Blood have not been very active in their first decade of life: they released a demo in 2005 and then three splits. This is the reason why after ten years since the foundation of the band, Helig Helig Helig is presented by the band as their first proper release, even if it is only a five song EP with a total playtime of less than twenty minutes.
What we have is an occult black metal that I find very inspired by first and best Watain, just to be clear the Watain of Casus Luciferi and Sworn to the Dark. After the brief intro “Hoor-Paar-Kraat”, the listener will notice the influence from Watain when the second track “Nightside Serpent” begins to grind its first riff; this song also shows the melodic approach typical of the Swedish tradition. The band claims to have improved their songwriting skills, above all in terms of variety; I think that “Shemot” actually proves that the band is still immature when it comes to transitions and arrangements. “The Communicants” is a seven minute song that is practically built on a single riff. Some tempo changes let down. “Transcend the Endless” is perhaps the best song together with “Nightside Serpent”: it is harsh, solid, powerful. The production is certainly good, even if the drums could have had a better sound. As the band says, “the lyrical concepts, which are dealing with different aspects of esoteric and religious practice, as well as the spiritual worship of Death, are furthermore mirrored and successfully integrated into the brilliant artwork courtesy of Brianvdp” (quote from their press release).
Helig Helig Helig is perhaps not the most original release in 2015, and surely exploits a few musical clichés of black metal, but it is very well crafted and is able to hide some weaknesses with a good production, a solid sound, and a harshness that can engage the listener. A good start if we talk about “proper releases”, which may let us hope in something even better in the future. It will appeal to the lovers of occult black metal, such as Watain, Ofermod and the like.
Notes:
Release date: January 15 2015 on Daemon Worship Productions.
Tracklist:
1. Hoor-Paar-Kraat
2. Nightside Serpent
3. Shemot
4. comunicandi
5. Transcend Eterni
Personnel:
Unknown
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
What we have is an occult black metal that I find very inspired by first and best Watain, just to be clear the Watain of Casus Luciferi and Sworn to the Dark. After the brief intro “Hoor-Paar-Kraat”, the listener will notice the influence from Watain when the second track “Nightside Serpent” begins to grind its first riff; this song also shows the melodic approach typical of the Swedish tradition. The band claims to have improved their songwriting skills, above all in terms of variety; I think that “Shemot” actually proves that the band is still immature when it comes to transitions and arrangements. “The Communicants” is a seven minute song that is practically built on a single riff. Some tempo changes let down. “Transcend the Endless” is perhaps the best song together with “Nightside Serpent”: it is harsh, solid, powerful. The production is certainly good, even if the drums could have had a better sound. As the band says, “the lyrical concepts, which are dealing with different aspects of esoteric and religious practice, as well as the spiritual worship of Death, are furthermore mirrored and successfully integrated into the brilliant artwork courtesy of Brianvdp” (quote from their press release).
Helig Helig Helig is perhaps not the most original release in 2015, and surely exploits a few musical clichés of black metal, but it is very well crafted and is able to hide some weaknesses with a good production, a solid sound, and a harshness that can engage the listener. A good start if we talk about “proper releases”, which may let us hope in something even better in the future. It will appeal to the lovers of occult black metal, such as Watain, Ofermod and the like.
Notes:
Release date: January 15 2015 on Daemon Worship Productions.
Tracklist:
1. Hoor-Paar-Kraat
2. Nightside Serpent
3. Shemot
4. comunicandi
5. Transcend Eterni
Personnel:
Unknown
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com