{"id":19004,"date":"2026-09-07T22:42:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T02:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=19004"},"modified":"2026-09-07T22:43:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T02:43:00","slug":"review-hazeroth-arsenal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/07\/review-hazeroth-arsenal\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Hazeroth – Arsenal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the Vault Review: Hazeroth – Arsenal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal<\/em>, the debut album from Brazil\u2019s unblack metal horde Hazeroth, is not your typical debut album. Released in March of 2011 on the now-defunct label Unblack Metal Scene Records, it was not so much a debut as it was a patched-together Frankenstein\u2019s monster of material from two demos; namely, Imp\u00e9rios Desolados <\/em>(2004) and Supremo Poder da Guerra <\/em>(2008). The tracklist goes in reverse order of the demo\u2019s release dates. But it gets even more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Napalm Death\u2019s Scum<\/em>, Hazeroth\u2019s debut features two almost totally different line-ups, with only the band\u2019s consistent drummer and main member, H\u00f6r Bamoth Abarim (real name Estevan Anderle) as the anchoring member between both sets of tracks. To muddy the waters even more, H\u00f6r Bamoth Abarim isn\u2019t the drummer for seven out of the twelve tracks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal<\/em> begins with the material from Supremo Poder da Guerra<\/em>, before  segueing into the tracks from Imp\u00e9rios Desolados<\/em>. Despite the two different line-ups on here, the approach of early Hazeroth remains fairly consistent on here: raw-throated shrieks and rasps with zero reverb, punchy drums, and sloppy guitar work being squeezed out of what sounds like some amps on their last legs (especially in the case of the 2008 material). Keeping in mind that this is demo material, it\u2019s still pretty rough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, is it actually enjoyable? If you\u2019re like me and like your metal raw, then it most certainly is. Even though Hazeroth have evolved over the years and through numerous line-up changes into a much more full-fledged, anthemic sound that verges away somewhat from their corpsepaint-and-spike-laden days of yore, I find the music on Arsenal <\/em>still to comprise an important document in the history of South American unblack metal. What Hazeroth here lack in technical skill, they often make up for in sheer bravado. The passion is tangible on both sets of recordings here, and even if the execution isn\u2019t always the best, the band force their way through simply via pure aggression and energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there are some noticeable differences worth mentioning between the two sets of material on here. Already, the band had advanced stylistically from their first demo, and you can hear it in the use of the occasional keyboard sprinklings here and there on the 2008 material. I\u2019d be lying if I ever said I was a big fan of keyboards and synths in black metal (though when it\u2019s done right, such as on Emperor\u2019s In the Nightside Eclipse<\/em>, for example, it works), and these definitely are of the cornier variety, just a little soft-sounding for my liking. That said, it shows Hazeroth\u2019s willingness to expand on their hostile early sound, even if only a little, ending up sounding like very early Dimmu Borgir (imagine them circa-For All Tid <\/em>if they went completely feral). Vocalist Melquisedek is arguably the stronger of the two on Arsenal<\/em>, more guttural and demonstrating a weightier growl than H\u00f6r Bamoth Abarim\u2019s higher-pitched shrieks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second (and larger) portion of the album comes from the Imp\u00e9rios Desolados<\/em> material, and is paradoxically worse and better production-wise. Guitars are murkier, drums are clattery, and it all sounds very like being at a jam session. Keyboards are nonexistent, allowing the band to simply thrust ahead with pure black metal aggression. Interestingly, Hazeroth even threw in a cover of a Drottnar track that\u2019s probably little known amongst fans of that band\u2019s later, avant-garde material, a very early track entitled \u201cFrykt ikke\u201d from when the band was known as Vitality. It\u2019s a pretty cool indication that these guys knew their own unblack metal scene pretty well; the cover art even has what appears to be H\u00f6r Bamoth Abarim sporting an Abdijah<\/a> shirt! How on earth he managed to find one is beyond me, but that\u2019s about as awesome as it gets in my books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s interesting too is that Hazeroth, like some other South American extreme metal acts like Golgota and Antidemon, have a habit of redoing songs. If you came to the band from later albums like Charms of Sin <\/em>or Mene Mene Tequel Ufarsim<\/em>, you\u2019ll notice some familiar song titles on Arsenal<\/em> – tracks like \u201cA Honra,\u201d \u201cChama da Batalha em Hazeroth,\u201d and \u201cSupremo Poder da Guerra.\u201d Arsenal<\/em> presents these tracks in their earliest forms, focusing on raw black ferocity over any death metal or epic metal overtones. Believe me, Arsenal<\/em>\u2019s version of \u201cA Honra\u201d sounds almost nothing like the arena-friendly black metal of the version heard on Charms of Sin<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Arsenal<\/em> is rough, Hazeroth is a band I keep coming back to and enjoying, and this patched-together album\u2019s passion and intensity keep me coming back. Certainly, other bands do this style far better in many respects. But as a document of South American unblack metal\u2019s history, it remains a key piece in my mind for both understanding the scene\u2019s progression, as well as understanding the evolution of the band itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give it a spin HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Fans Of: Fire Throne (demo material), Elgibbor, Hortor (earlier), Verdelger, Gorgoroth (pre-Destroyer), Poems of Shadows<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n