Heavy Metal Tribune

Blaze of Perdition [Poland]
The Hierophant
2011
Full Length
Pagan Records
Black Metal

A chance encounter with Poland's Blaze of Perdition and their debut full length album last year left me starving for more, and this year sees this craving being satisfied with the release of their second full length album, The Hierophant. Polish bands have yet to disappoint me, and The Hierophant sees Blaze of Perdition further polishing up their sound and deliver their music with unrestrained fury.

Fitting to the album name, The Hierophant opens with sounds of hymns being sung in a chapel, but with tormented screams raising the hair on the backs of listeners, and before long the band begins their onslaught, and straight away the improvement in the band's musicianship is noticed, compared to 2010's slightly less polished effort. The musical style almost reminds listeners of albums such as Watain's later works, with the clean production quality and the large melodies that are present on the songs, and this is certainly a good thing as it grabs the listener's attention from the start and maintains it throughout.

While last year's Towards the Blaze of Perdition contained numerous awkward moments where the lead guitars at times sounded out of place, any such moments are eliminated on The Hierophant as the band manages to sound tighter than ever. Guitarists '.'93'.' and Golachab fortunately do not place their focus solely on the speed and technical wankery this time, and instead focus on the melody in the lead guitar lines and this is definitely more successful and makes the music more enjoyable as well. Slower tracks and moments on the album such as those on the interlude Into the Hidden Light are perhaps the best examples of this done right. The guitar tone also helps to make the solos stand out and shine even more.

Drummer Wizun also punishes the drum with relentless hits, and this makes the music heavier than what it would have otherwise been, particularly on slower moments of the album. Also, while it is hard to tell apart the band's two vocalists Sonneillon and Ashgan, it is hard to deny the unique and fuller sound that having two vocalists have brought for the band, as they alternate between taking the lead vocal duties and providing alternate vocal lines at the background, and this resolves problems of having multiple vocal layers when performing live as well.

The band's songwriting capabilities are sufficiently tested on longer tracks on the album such as Gospel of the Serpent's Kin, and these tracks still manage to hold the listener's attention and interest with the variation in the song structure, with the band alternating between fast and slow paces with little awkwardness. The slower parts of the song also help in building up the tension and emotions in the atmosphere, complete with the spoken vocals, and it is moments such as these that remind listeners of Watain's Lawless Darkness. The clever usage of clean/acoustic guitars on the track also provide a different touch from the other fare that is present on the album. However, unlike Lawless Darkness, which had its boring moments, such tracks on The Hierophant manage to keep me entranced throughout.

While Blaze of Perdition does not push any boundaries or explore any uncharted waters in black metal that have not been touched before, The Hierophant is certainly an excellently executed album, and is recommended for fans of bands like Watain.

Related articles:
Interview with Blaze of Perdition

Blaze of Perdition on the internet:
Official website
Pagan Records

©2012 Heavy Metal Tribune | Hong Rui