After spending an entire afternoon trying to pronounce the band name smoothly, I took the following day off to get the album title right — and failed miserably at both attempts.
But that hardly spoils the fun, because this German Black/Death Metal band, now based in Leipzig, presents their second album — the successor to the excellent Nereidean Seismic End from 2022, which was unleashed upon the world by Ván Records. The band has since moved to Amor Fati Records — a label that tends to pop up here quite often — and now returns with their new record bearing the tongue-twisting title Haematophoryktos.
A quick informal query to our favourite translation program yielded the following: “possessed by blood,” “bloodbearer,” or “cursed with blood.” Not that it made things much clearer, so there was only one thing left to do: put the record on. And that turned out to be an excellent decision.
What follows is an onslaught of sheer, unrelenting ferocity. Emotions have clearly been forged into notes here, because this album hits like a sledgehammer. The intensity is staggering — a barrage of raw power that leaves little room for mercy.
From track five onward, the band eases off the throttle ever so slightly, giving you a brief moment to catch your breath — but not for long. Soon enough, they press forward again, continuing their “joyous” sonic devastation with grim determination.
Haematophoryktos isn’t an album you play casually in the background; it’s a ritual of sound, blood, and fire — a purification through chaos.
The duo — yes, all this sonic mayhem is produced by just two people — consists, among others, of Hekla, who, besides running the magazine Haailicht, also works as a graphic designer for Amor Fati Records. On top of that, he’s involved in a variety of other bands such as Haemalharia, Necropollisebeht, and Pale Spectre — yet more names that twist the tongue into knots.
Drummer Augur keeps things a little more modest. Apart from a project under his own name, he seems content — which is quite remarkable for a drummer, a species that usually juggles at least a dozen bands and side projects at any given time.
What these two men have served us here is simply delicious — and I say that from a professional point of view. Filthy, ferocious Death Metal drenched in a thick layer of Black Metal, all garnished with a raw, gritty production. Absolutely glorious.
87/100
Hadopelagyal:
Bandcamp
Amor Fati Records:
Bandcamp
Instagram
Facebook
Website