Mordhell - Grim, Old and Evil

I have become more and more convinced that black metal as I know and love it is about to disappear. It seems like just about every new release is some sort of ambient depressive/suicidal "black metal" that has nothing to do with what I call black metal. When a "black metal" album sounds more like Vangelis meets NIN than Darkthrone, then there's something seriously wrong.

It was therefore with a certain amount of anticipation I put my headphones on to blast my scarred ear drums with the sound of Polish black metal purists Mordhell. With song titles like "Grim, Old and Evil", "Nekroforest - II" and "Absolute Fucking Annihilation" it sure seemed to be something I would enjoy.

I was not disappointed.

Mordhell may be Polish, but they sure as hell aren't polished (sorry...). This is...well...grim, old and evil. The whole album sounds like it could have been recorded in the mid 80's, and it has more in common with the first wave of black metal (Venom, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Hellhammer) than the bands that followed. It basically sounds like Venom at their best, with a bit of Darkthrone mixed in, and with a strong punk backbone. I can also hear some traces of Usurper (awesome band). It's as far from complicated as you can come, but because the songs are so good, Mordhell manages to stay away from sounding like a parody of early black metal and instead sound like they are paying tribute to the early masters. There are a few occasions where music is slightly more complex, with the addition of an acoustic guitar part or a solo, but they never stray far from their simple concept of great, catchy, simple riffs.

Despite the music being old school, the production thankfully is far from. The sound is as crisp as you would ever want it to be, the bass is powerful and the (few) guitar solos are excellent for this particular style of black metal.

If you're a fan of polished black metal like Emperor, or if you like to slit your wrists to some suicidal crap, then this is not for you. This is for fans of the old masters. With no hesitation at all I proclaim that this is modern classic, and I have no qualms about awarding it a strong 9/10.