| Story: Ralph Greco, Jr.
As the frontman of legendary Swedish maniacs Nifelheim, Hellbutcher stands among the most elite figures of the black metal underground, and with his eponymous new band, HELLBUTCHER, his frenzied mission continues conjuring sounds of pure blasphemy and absolute musical Armageddon. Nothing less than total metal devastation will do!
Following the end of Nifelheim, who played their final show in late 2022, Hellbutcher wasted no time in forging forward. Teaming up with old compadres in evil, guitarists Necrophiliac and Iron Beast, bassist Eld, and drummer Devastator (ex-Nifelheim), HELLBUTCHER quickly set about bringing their new vision to life. Together, they had quickly amassed enough material to record their raging, hellish, self-titled debut album, set for release on May 31st through Metal Blade Records.
Recording in various locations around Sweden, such as Devastator’s own Red And Black Hall Drum Studio and Iron Beast’s Chrome Studios, and producing and mastering everything themselves – “No need for an outside producer since we knew exactly how our band should sound” – it is a record that stands proud and unambiguous as a work or pure, metallic mayhem.
From the album’s opener, the crazed “The Sword Of Wrath,” HELLBUTCHER’s intent is loud and clear: Channeling the spirit of Venom, Bathory, Iron Maiden, Exciter, Motörhead, Mercyful Fate, and the aggressive spirit of true heavy metal. It’s an explosion of diabolic evil, performed relentlessly by true masters of the form.
Elaborates Hellbutcher on the band’s latest single, “The title ‘Hordes Of The Horned God’ was inspired by an old Dissection song where Jon [Nödtveidt] mentions ‘my god has horns.’ I crafted the song with an epic yet raw and thrashing feel. The intro riff recurs in various forms, shaping both the chorus and the end of the mid-section of the song. Additionally, our great guitarist, known as Iron Beast, delivers some fantastic guitar solos on this track.” |
