Hellmouth is the music equivalent of their hometown Detroit: violent, grimy, pissed off and ugly. Their debut, Destroy Everything, Worship Nothing was a feral but ultimately forgetful  crossover assault of black metal, thrash and punk, but on their follow up, Gravestone Skylines, with the same musical influences,  the band has improved their sneering sonic violence, making for a nerve wrecking sonic visage of Detroit’s ghetto.

With a sound that I think lies somewhere between Black Flag, , Uphill Battle and Infernal Stronghold, Hellmouth don’t fuck about. The 15 song, 33 minute drive by is a snarling, seething ball of hateful, pissed of energy directed at everything from war, religion, Armageddon, Detroit and drugs. Vocalist Jay Navarro fuels the diatribes with his throaty rasps and shouts while the music scratches, kicks, punches and bites its way into your psyche.

The improved song writing, raw but powerful crossover production and smartly pissed of lyrics all come together to make the likes of the aptly titled  “Spitting Blood and Teeth”, “Desperate and Violent”, “Amen, Assholes”, ‘Tragedy of a City”, “Vultures and Crows”and personal favorite the controlled rage of  ‘Lions”, a bristling affair that will leave you in shock with ample blasts, grooves and tenacity.

However, the album’s last two tracks “The Calling” parts 1 and 2, show a deeper side to Hellmouth, calling on influences  and tracks by name (“War Pigs”, “Wasted”, “Battery”, “Crypt of Rays”) on part 1  with a dirty Southern haze and even a rather beautiful piano closing before a skin peeling blackened punk beat-down closes the album out suddenly and with a nasty exclamation.

I like the jump Hellmouth have made from album number one to album number two, and in today’s uncertain times Gravestone Skylines is the perfect soundtrack for uprising, riots and revolution.

 

[Visit the band's website]

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