The Collection

Hellkult was a Finnish band who first started (I am basing this on evidence gleaned from various internet sites, so it might be spurious) in 1997 and then released three demos before disbanding, its members then going on to form Wyrd and Azaghal, whom I'm sure most readers are familiar with. The demos, "Christian Holocaust", "Hail War", and "Of Pure Heathen Blood", were released in 1997, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and then a later posthumous split EP with Fog surfaced in 2001 - although on this EP the material included was only the first demo. There seems to be some sort of consensus or majority feeling that the third demo, "Of Pure Heathen Blood", is the music that should be attended to, and that demo appears here as the lion's share of available music. I believe tracks 1-7 are the first demo, 8-11 the second, and 12-20 are this third/final recording. Regimental did not provide an information sheet with the promo they sent me so I can not say for sure... I am not really familiar with this band. If this is the case then this collection CD is not only a "representative" look back at the band's discography, it features just by aligning the songs in chronological order some kind of historiography, or a presentation of (possible) evolution. It would be instructive to play this disc all the way though, for example, and then switch over to Wyrd or Azaghal to continue the line of legacy or stylistic "progress". The first Wyrd demo, "Unchained Heathen Wrath", was recorded throughout 1998-2000, and so supposedly overlaps stylistically with the Hellkut music before Wyrd took a turn towards more "atmospheric" music and pagan themes.

From what I can tell/hear this transition comes exactly at track 9 on this CD, the second song from the second demo. While the earlier "satanic warmetal" style continues into the second demo recordings (alternating with the clean guitars of the second and fourth tracks), the first appearance of pagan-themed lyrics and a wretchedly played and recorded flute (or is that just a plastic recorder?) on "Chambers of Poisoned Sleep" and "Hail War" lets one know the "heathen" themes are beginning to be thought of as a possible direction for the musicians here. It would be interesting to know who (which members) wrote each track, or if the material can be divided that way - as a portrait of a potential/growing split in the band as to the nature of the music they would be releasing. I suppose only the people who appear on these recordings know.

Of course it is on "Of Pure Heathen Blood" that these new elements burst forth finally in a more cohesive, concentrated, and regulated form. Strangely, at the same time, what appears to be a more traditional German thrash metal influence pops up as well - there are no two more dissimilar tracks on this CD than the first two songs from the last demo. The echoing, clean guitars and chants of the title track do not ready one for the nostalgic redundancy of "Der Sieg Ist Unser" ("victory is ours"?) or the later "Winterkrieg", which both sport German names to echo their overt/obvious/intended influences. I am guessing this is not a coincidence. Also on this second track one immediately spots a certain... hesitancy on the part of the band to stay close to traditional or well-defined songwriting patterns, as it veers off into half-experimental miniature sections in at least two places, highlighted by a bass sound and flexibility that now (in this band's history) steps to the fore. There is still a reliance on completely primitive tremolo-picked slow chord progressions, however, although this element (hearkening back to the group's beginnings in 1997) is now joined to bouncing, dancing, enthusiastic riffing which will probably remind most listeners of Graveland's less restrained "pagan" themes - echoing, ever-repeating folk motifs suborned beneath blasting, simplistic black metal. So, in a few ways, this entire last demo appears to be a picture of...the process of "pagan metal" coming north from Eastern Europe and altering, transfiguring, or corrupting (depending on one's biases) the "pure" black/thrash of Hellkult's earlier efforts like a particularly voracious retrovirus. To be honest, I prefer the earlier work... not because it is somehow more "Finnish" or traditional, but because it seems, in its unadorned, unaffected, limited scope, to be more primal, closer to the heart of the first desires of this band.

Sound quality throughout this disc varies, although the production standards within each demo section stays pretty close to a set average. I prefer the sound of the first demo as well... mainly because of the reverberating vocals, the pounding, clicking drums, and the hazy, indeterminate, unprofessional guitars that appear there. It sounds like it was recorded in a dank, dark basement, and that truly underground presence (sorry for the pun) is more "evocative" in my opinion than all of the pseudo-pagan riffing that rears its ugly head in the later material.

For Azaghal or Wyrd completists only, if these exist, or those Finnish-obsessed fetishists wishing to trace the progression of pagan metal ideas throughout a traditional black metal band's initial years of existence.

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

Artist: Hellkult
Album Title: The Collection
Label: Blood Fire Death/Regimental

This is a demo collection from Hellkult, a Finnish band that later evolved into Wyrd. They play raw pagan black metal.

Hellkult's guitar work is very raw and unpolished, which of course suits this style of metal. The vocals here range from snarls to screams. They're easily the best part of this collection, as they really drive home the rage and frustration in these songs. The drumming is straightforward, but alternates between a frantic pace and stately progressions, both of which are equally effective. The drums are strangely high in the mix during the first two demos - fortunately, this works well with Hellkult's style, and gives the songs a more punishing atmosphere.

For the most part, these songs are constructed of primitive, repetitive riffs, upon which the vocals and drumming are layered. Early Burzum is the obvious reference point, here, though a more direct influence is the work that members of this band put in with Azaghal. In fact, the songwriting here is closer to early Azaghal than to Wyrd. You can certainly hear Wyrd in this, from time to time, especially during the final demo on the CD, but on the whole, Hellkult's songs are far more aggressive than Wyrd.

Fortunately, these are some excellent songs in their own right, whether or not you enjoy Wyrd. These demos are quite memorable, full of great songs and a fine sense of pacing and composition. Hellkult's demos have been favorites of mine for years, and it's great to have them pressed to CD at last. This CD is highly recommended, especially for fans of Azaghal, Wyrd, and Finnish black metal in general.

Standout Tracks: "God Is the Enemy", "Darkness", "The Summoning of Elder Gods", "Ancient Pagan Earth Reborn".