My immediate reaction on hearing this album, the second by Hell United, is that it is the essence of Polish blackened death metal. It has all the qualities – all-enveloping, heavy, dark, relentless and technical. No quarter is given. “Red Limitations” opens proceedings. Yes, it is gut-busting and harsh. The blasting drums mix with grim vocals and guitars which make a stand for chaos and hell. The track slows down and enters a menacing, war-like phase. “A Postle of Plague” is more typical Polish death metal, consisting of a series of hostile statements which are not quite in English but there’s plenty of firepower. Deadened guitar work does not detract from the attack but make it more nasty. A funereal start to “Deathlike Cold” signal music from the hangman. I sense a mix of Christ Agony and Behemoth. It moves up a step as blasting drums complement raw and sinister violence. More chaotic entrail-ripping death metal is then punctuated by creeping nastiness swinging over us. The title track follows. The guitar style is anarchic. The track is a musical representation of harsh suffering. The message is simple: “We kill more people with pure animal hate”. The lyrics are cold and dispassionate, like the music.
“Aura Damage” is intense, full of hatred and technically in harmony with the harsh themes, but it is based on a template. The one track which breaks the mould is “Hinterland”. After a doom-laden beginning, it takes a still slower and more reflective turn. Ghostly vocal accompany creepy guitar. This is the most atmospheric track so far. It’s like creeping through thick fog. The drum beats as if it is tapping on death’s door. All is not clear in this murky world. It’s impressive. The chainsaw is back out again as “Maelstrom’s Gravity” launches into a familiar piece of death metal. Technical harshness follows on as “In Odore Sanctitatis” meanders towards the abyss. Finally “Totality of 1” is a march. Not unusually, we are preached at. The guitar plays an ominous tune. It is slow and methodical, and as dark a piece of funeral death metal as you’ll find. Violence erupts momentarily but the final stages are more noteworthy for being imperious and deliberate.
Hell United tread a well-trodden path with occasional forays into an atmospheric world of creepiness. “Aura Damage” is not without innovation but is mainly notable for upholding the long-standing tradition of blackened death metal from Poland.
(6 / 10 Andrew Doherty)
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