Hellish God – The Evil Emanations (You’ve Heard This Metal)
I really wanted to slam to this one. For two reasons. One, the art kills, two I have yet to give such praise to a death metal band from Italy. Let’s start with the art. Though not atypical, or even moderately unique, the cover of The Evil Emanations, by Adi Christianize of Dechristianize Art, is so wonderfully constructed I had to give it a try. It has a perfect sense of space and color to such a degree that though I knew what type of music I was probably going to receive, it gave me an excuse to go for it. Plus Italy. I’m still looking for an Italian death metal band of the modern type, or even the pre-modern type, or really any type that I can seriously listen to outside of just criticism. Because, let me tell you, I can get way critical about Italian death metal. I’ve done it before, try me. Hellish God, unfortunately, have not proven to me it’s possible to make me stop. I’m starting to wonder if it ever will be, because death metal just can’t seem to get it together in Italy. I don’t know why, and I probably don’t feel like figuring it out. Actually I definitely don’t feel like figuring it out.
Hellish God? More like Smellish Clod. Okay, so it’s not that bad but I had to use that somewhere so there it is. I thought of it yesterday and was like I’m a funny guy, best put that there. Hellish God play modern, technical death metal, with less of an emphasis on the technical side. I’m about ready to just stop there, and I could, but let’s get a few more sentences out of this. The Evil Emanations is standard from its artwork down to its Greek letter album title and further down to the songs. In fact, the other parts I could deal with, it’s the songs I can’t, that’s why I mentioned them last and why they’re at the proverbial bottom. These guys have the skill needed today, they fly in various directions, but what they lack is what most bands of this type lack, something noteworthy. Even after seven listens (no joke, I really did), I couldn’t remember a single moment, or just didn’t care to. It all comes and goes as noticeably as air. Just plain old air. For air, it does what air does, but once it blows past you it’s gone. The swarms of riffs, the skilled solos, the grunts-ahoy vocals, the Barnes shrieks, the Satanic and demonic references, the un-epic piano intro, yeah I’m done.
Written by Stanley Stepanic
Hellish God: The Evil Emanations
Everlasting Spew Records
3.5 / 5
