Helleruin "Devils, Death and Dark Arts" CD

Lost in the bloodwrit pages of a slavishly exerted manifesto in bruised skin and blood spatter we find the diarized dementia of a hungered singularity clawing their way beyond the listless chaff, fiending to recreate the passion that’d sent them down this dark road. Interpreting the journeyman necromancer’s second teeth-bearing ritual won’t be all that difficult, at least not in practical terms as Groningen, Netherlands-based musician Carchost hasn’t yet defined a truly esoteric path untrodden. Yet the work done by way of his solo black metal effort Helleruin is especially fine, outright ambitious as the now live-capable group begins to exceed the bounds of tutelage with soaring high and texturally rich melodicism amidst traditional black metal’s high-minded gallantry. A feast for the eternally starving nightside of the mind ‘Devils, Death and Dark Arts‘ dares to seize when and where so many hesitate and in this sense an unmistakable passion begins to define the artist’s work. Having played drums in various black metal bands since the age of sixteen or so Carchost would be variously active in several sub-genre adjacent groups until striking out on his own with Helleruin circa 2015. When I suggest the fellowe struck out on his own I mean he has consistently played all instruments in studio, performs the vocals, and likewise handles the engineering, mixing and mastering of each work. Though this is entirely commonplace today it is worth noting up front that each release has featured a notable leap in fidelity with this second album being particularly impressive. To start I believe it was most clear that the guitar wasn’t the initial obsession of the artist and that meant their first demo (‘Demo 2016‘, 2016) didn’t entirely secure the romanticist melodic approach to black metal with any great finesse but rather aptitude. The mood of that CD-r was dire and entirely consistent in its still formative state. No doubt there were other drafts and thoughts in this vein prior but this was a serious step into the public ear and not a sloppy, trendy waste… nascent at worst. A three way split release (‘A Thousand Dreams‘, 2017) with Volc Vermaledide and Standvast soon followed featuring easier pace but which continued the initial semblance to a Sargeist-esque focus on melody. At that point I’d have considered the project unremarkable, promising but typical in most every way. By 2020 New Era Productions had taken interest, released a demo cassette that same year and it seems the momentum ramped up into a much more serious directive. The je ne sais quoi available to Helleruin‘s work beyond that point could be described as a certain shade of liberated resonance, a feature that I’d consider aligned with Satanic rhythmic prowess which speaks a hidden language of self-empowered traditions, old world sentimentality, and wrathful austerity which entrances the mind and brings inspiration to the right sort of host. The debut full-length from the artist (‘War Upon Man‘, 2021) was something a bit different in this regard, a warmer toned yet raw sound reminiscent of 90’s Taake in its nigh black n’ roll touch to certain riffs while also featuring some of the parity one could imaging between Norway’s brutally paced melodicism and the more sweeping, fleet footed grace of Finnish black metal. There were already natural associations to be made with the aforementioned Sargeist but also the fluid assault of Spectral Wound and certainly the presence of Taake as a point of similar biome to gather from the broad compendium of character available to Carchost‘s meticulously set work. No doubt the work of Hoest both in terms of aesthetics and compositional neatness is tributed here on some level. The one essentially piece from that first album that provides the best context is the ~11 minute “No Elegance | Entrenchment”, one of a few moments on that debut that’d felt like a true breakthrough beyond initial releases. I mention that song in particular because it directly speaks to the most impressive qualities of ‘Devils, Death and Dark Arts‘, which pushes much harder to make every moment count with equally high importance. “The Flame Still Burns Within Me” is the first breath we take within this refined second album and fittingly so, a strong piece which conveys intent and philosophy in a broad but realistic enough space where the drums are low-set beneath the floor level and kicking deeper as a result while the melodic black metal voicing of the main verses surges throughout as the main spectacle. The vocal work is functional and occasionally inspired per the lyrics though Carchost‘s voice is set aback, voluminous but careful not to impede upon the most directive conductor of the rhythm guitar drive. The attack of the album hits at a chest level though it is ultimately atmospheric in design with groaning layers falling inward with a bit of post-black sentimentality seeping in, a key difference to the chopped-at nihil of Mgła, the title track makes this distinction most clear from my point of view. While I’d been well enough prepared by the two opening pieces for a high-set bar the real impact and substance of this record generally holds fast within Side A. The clincher, the full-body experience and the song that had me remembering Helleruin‘s name is undoubtedly “It Befalls the Night With Doom”, a true storm of a melodic black metal piece and one which will quickly catch the ear of the early Swedish (or just Sacramentum style) melodic black fan within its first couple of minutes. The piece eventually shifts gears in approach of its mid-point, bracing in refrain before escalating into the speedier final third. The sensation of momentum created here made this piece easy to connect with, a ghastly and dramatic scene to imprint upon the mind but this was perhaps the only part of the record to truly strike me down into coffin. Likewise compelling was the transition into Side B which starts with “All Shades of Ferocity” an interlude which retains the dark and ethereally lit presence of the artist but likewise feels like a reaction to taste in modern beat-oriented music just the same. Odd as it might seem this provides a smart divider between each half of the album and leads the ear into the second half on an ominous, adventurous note. All regalia is soon flying high on the more intimately voiced stretches of melodicism on “Riddles in Devil’s Tongue”, adding in touches of acoustic guitar to give a certain late 90’s feeling to a song which is not so plainly devout if we cut beyond the reverbed snare and what ‘Hoardalands Doedskvad‘-isms found in the elaborate turns of rhythmic phrase as well as further strikes upon the cowbell. You’ve gotten the gist of it well enough, then, the full listen is engrossing as it goes places most of which are successful for the sake of grand but not atypical strands of melodic guitar work. No doubt where we find Helleruin standing out beyond this well-studied guitar voicing is in the rhythms which are varietal in both influence and undertaking and this goes a long way towards 7-8 minute melodic black metal pieces balancing a strong sense of movement with a brain behind the kit. For a six song and ~45 minute long experience we get a strong balance of black metal’s necessary obsessed fixation as well as a free sensation of movement, perhaps reaching too free a headspace for some within the pagan-metallic stretches of the closing piece. While I’d never quite hit the point where I’d found ‘Devils, Death and Dark Arts‘ to bring any particularly original thought applied to these grand melodic gestures that didn’t stave the flow of inspiration, nor did it obfuscate the strong sense of personality radiating off the full listen and I’d found it all worked quite well on repeat with easy immersion and plenty of choice moments to return to each run through. A high recommendation.

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