Review: Hazeroth — Charms of Sin
From the Vault Review – Hazeroth – Charms of Sin
Hazeroth’s always been a band that’s interested me. Since my first forays into the world of South American black metal, Hazeroth seemed to me to be a band that stood out from an already prolific scene (and that’s no knock against the South American unblack metal scene, believe me).
Starting out as a corpse-painted, raw black metal act that was a bit style over substance, Hazeroth have evolved over the years into a full-fledged black metal band whose sound is a mix of Hortor, post-Kongsblod Antestor and late ’90’s/early 2000’s Immortal.
To say that this is a totally different band here from their previous albums is true in two ways – though the death metal leanings heard on Mene Mene Tequel Ufarsim have stayed to some degree, Charms of Sin is Hazeroth completely revamped from their Arsenal years. Furthermore, only one original member remains in the band’s ever-changing line-up. However, this new line-up also comes with a totally new, amped up production, one that is professional, hefty and muscular.
If ever there were such a thing as “arena black metal” (to riff on Gatecreeper’s self-definition of their approach to death metal a little here), this is it. The songs here are positively huge, as driving as any latter-day Immortal but also packed with a punishing yet polished death metal punch. It’s hard to believe this is the same band that put out the clumsy yet enjoyable Arsenal – this is light years beyond it, even if it may lack some of the charm of the band’s previously more raw take.
Hör Bamoth Abarim’s drumming is positively astounding here, channeling a similar sound to Horgh of Immortal but also packed with melodic death metal gallops galore. Not to say that this album is melodic – this is still black metal after all, and Hazeroth boast all the blasts and howling vocals one could want. But it’s their strange way of tempering the aggression here with a sense of traditional metal melody and melodic death metal’s technicality that gives this album its special flavour.
Of course, for someone like myself who usually prefers the more raw and under-produced side of things, I do find myself missing the more traditionally raw/aggressive sound of their previous work. The triple closing tracks of “This is Our God,” “King of the Nations,” and “All Honor” get a bit too anthemic and fist-pumping for me, though it’s kind of ironic considering that “All Honor” seems to be one of their earliest tracks (“A Honra”), just redone for this album with a fresh new approach. Regardless, if you’re one of those folks who doesn’t normally dig black metal, Hazeroth’s more accessible yet still fully black metal approach on Charms of Sin might be up your alley.
Check out the band’s larger discography HERE.
For Fans Of: Antestor (later), Hortor (later), Immortal (later), A Hill to Die Upon
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