Canadian record label – Profound Lore Records really likes to have Canadian bands on their label.  I think it’s pretty cool and the label roster is pretty staggering, in terms of the quality of their bands-truly excellent.  Canada’s black metal act Gevurah have been slinging their brutal take on the genre for a little over a decade and in that time have released one prior full-length album and two ep’s as their main form of releases – so they have been busy.

Gehinnom is their second long player and quite honestly the band is one of the more lethal black metal acts out there.  When more prominent bands begin exploring or expanding the genre they’re in there is always a newer act to come in and bring the glory back to that genre.  I’m a big fan of Watain and have reviewed their last two albums and their newest one being more expansive is very cool, but then the watering down of the black metal brutality, they were known for, is also apparent.  Gevurah has an IDGAF attitude in the form of metal they play, because it’s so blistering and destructive that they may have just released their magnum opus with Gehinnom. 

For the readers who follow my reviews, as well as friends – Does Frank like multiple instrumentals on albums? ??  Well-you would already know my answer is a resounding NO!  There are two on this, but they are brief and even when subtracted from the length of the album that still leaves the listener with 41 minutes of music, therefore I can forgive the band for, what I feel, is filler.  The opening is the title track, but it’s an instrumental.  It is a nice calm and serene acoustic piece, that before you’re about to say, Oh Boy, not another one of these albums, “At the Orient of Eden”, comes in with the Holy Shit moment – right off the bat with the isolated lead black metal riff and then boom-right into a hellacious blast.  The guitar riffing is sensational and I enjoy the vocals.  Pretty understandable as the vocals are belted out in a more shouting and definitely angry tone.  The pounding drums at the two minute mark is enough to have you pound your desk at work, in unison. The atmospheric epic buildup around the 2.40 mark, gets into a depressive and plodding slow doomy escapade.  The guitar melodies are creative and the vocalization is pretty darn evil – calls to mind a little bit Desolate Shrine, especially with their new album.  These blackened doom metal moments are one of the more striking moments in the band’s career.  After a few minutes of this the band gets back into the vicious high-octane speed and I’m peeling myself off the floor after being thrashed around the room with this track.

However, I’m slammed back down to the floor with the next track – “Blood-Soaked Katabasis”.  The tune starts with an immediate ass-kicking blast.  No intro, no build-up and without warning.  This song will pick you up, punch you in the face, choke-slam you through the ground, than pick you up once again to deliver another punch.  This will go for several more minutes, until your face, which has now been turned into slush, will be placed in a jar with some pectin, so it can be the new flavorful jam for the jam of the month club.  This song is FAST!!!!!!!!  A little past the midway point the atmospheric slow-down is a little more mid-paced, but the drumming gets into a little poly-rhythms and with the more atmospheric guitar parts is really neat, especially when the guitar solo erupts.  This is quite an interesting moment, because the soloing is not short, but works well over the drum pattern and second guitar melodies.

“Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Et Ira ad Homines in Terra” ends the album at 13 minutes – the title is nearly as long as the length of the song.  Great percussion opening sounds and the song picks up some killer speed.  But at the 5 minute part, just when you thought the song was fast, the isolated guitar moment comes in and Sonic Fuckin Boom!!!  A killer scream and right into a faster blast.  The song encompasses the blackened depressive doom metal moments, which are sprinkled across the album, much to this writer’s delight.  This is a long song, a lot is going on and there are numerous tempo shifts.  This is a focused song which is also well-written.

Gevurah’s Gehinnom is an outstanding black metal album with a variety of elements thrown in, without compromising their sound, just improving on their technique and writing skillset.  The production is great, as is the thought provoking artwork. Gevurah are one of the best black metal bands out there, who also know how to write memorable and interesting songs.  Incredible effort, gents!

[Visit the band's website]

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