Hexenbrett – Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter (Blackened Rock Past Puberty)
Finally! I’ve been waiting for mystery duo Hexenbrett to get their shit together. They definitely had the mystique down. No one really knows where they’re from (most likely Germany, but possibly the United States), but putting this into their particular brand of blackened rock has been largely a miss since their first EP in 2018. With flaccid attempts at eeriness, largely ruined by a lower production quality more fitting to street punk or blackened thrash, but lacking the teeth, they just couldn’t get it right. That’s not just my opinion, either, it’s the goddamn truth, do you hear me? But when I saw the vampire girl cover of Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter I hoped for, and received, the best. They’re way past puberty now and easily years from a mid-life crisis.
Hexenbrett have attempted for some years now to hone their skills in heavy metal combined with a dark, atmospheric approach to hard rock with a touch of the archaic. The main failure, however, has been their production, followed second by their structuring. Earlier releases suffered from a combination of poor mixing and dowdy transitions. With Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter, however, we find the band in all of their Italian giallo and Eurotrash horror worship coming of age. There’s simply no comparison between this work and anything that came prior. The vocals, now at a less dominant level, are smoothly blended into the background, giving more space for the main body of the work, including keyboard spookery, to show itself. They still bring some odd sounds and shifts, but here, finally, it works entirely to their advantage, transporting the listener into grainy VHS castles populated by low-budget specters. It’s simply the perfect combination of theme and sound, elevated through superior production. Keep it here you two!
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Hexenbrett – Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter
Dying Victims Productions
Cover Art: Solo Macello
4.8 / 5
