Black Pestilence – Hail the Flesh (Infernal Blackened Punk)

 

Cool shit man, Satanic punk. You might call it “blackened punk,” but there’s so much Satan thrash stuff going on, you know, so “infernal blackened punk” sounds way cooler. Let’s go with that. I put it in the title too so I can claim copyright later and make a lot of money when some scuzz site with more hits tries to claim it as their own. Nice. I don’t think I’ve heard a good act of this type out of maybe anywhere but Spain and Chile in the past few years, but good job Canada, Black Pestilence has done it for you with Hail the Flesh and I now look upon your country for future trash. Black metal has melded with punk before, and this goes further because, listen, it’s only been released thus far DIY in a slipcase by the band so like come on now.

   

Hail the Flesh turns the street punk scene demonic pretty much from the beginning. Those old oi jackets suddenly burst into flame with lighting flying out of the studs, singing off the flesh until you get some like Ghost Rider shit, worshiped by demonic women you can’t help but be attracted to. That pretty much summarizes where Black Pestilence goes through this entire album. They can smash extremely well, and their blend of black metal aesthetic with punk attitude is a perfect fit, mostly. If there’s one complaint it’s that they never really let up, at all. For the first two listens you start to smash your house apart, but realize they’re too consistent. Hail the Flesh, aside from a few moments of noise-like experimentation, sets its own standards immediately. So, thus, like punk qua punk, it’s resistant to moving beyond the confines it’s set for itself, but unlike the submissions I usually get, I’d take Black Pestilence over most of the rest.

 

Black Pestilence Official Facebook

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Black Pestilence – Hail the Flesh
Self-Released
Cover Art: Juha Vuorma
4 / 5