Band: SATHANAS / DEATHEPOCH
Country: USA / Poland
Title: Hellspawn Hegemony
Label: Putrid Cult
Year: 2023
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
Wow, what a killer split for Polish Putrid Cult label, the featuring of Sathanas with 5 tracks apparently recorded especially for this split, in my opinion is a recognition of this label’s hard work in their niche which is obviously Black and Death Metal, but it may also very well be a push for Polish duo DeathEpoch.
US based Sathanas are still going strong after 35 years of activity, they released their 11th album not long ago, and here they are opening this split with 5 tracks recorded especially for this release, an old-school Black Death Metal with heavy Metal influences, very entertaining, catchy, but at the same time blasphemous and evil. The production is impressive, so organic and crystal clear that you can hear every bits and pieces of this material without any problems; as it sounds I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that it was recorded in one take and no major post production was applied afterwards, it really sounds like you’re in the same room with the band, I love it. Their best features as a band in my opinion are Paul Tucker’s evil and easily understandable vocals, the catchy old-school guitar riffs and as said earlier, the honest sounding stiped-down production.
Polish duo DeathEpoch is made of former Hate guitarist, the man behind War Metal moniker Nekkrofukk, Lord K. on drums and vocals, and the owner of Putrid Cult label Morgul on bass and guitars. Their side is way more aggressive and chaotic but impressively diverse and interesting, a kind of mid-tempo Black Death with War Metal-like bestial vocals and some fast paced passages that keep the tension high. Interesting approach, their music might well appeal to fans of other forms of Extreme Metal than this Black Death combination because it’s not that extreme I might say, apart from the unhuman vocals the instrumental part is quite accessible most of the time. Interesting is also how the band incorporates ambient and industrial elements in their music to enhance a devastated, apocalyptic atmosphere, so all in all, although not being a game-changing material, DeathEpoch’s 5 tracks featured here are the perfect companion for Sathanas’ side on this very interesting split.
Released on jewel-case CD with 16 pages booklet.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10 7.5/10
Contact:
sathanas.bandcamp.com
deathepoch.bandcamp.com
putridcult.pl
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