We’re moving back to the early nineties and this time we’re back in Poland. A treasure trove for us anyway, bulging with obscure metal pearls. Also Holy Death belong to these treasures. Probably not under the radar for many, Holy Death are an important part of the 2nd wave of the Polish underground Black Metal movement. Where other bands were desperately creating Norwegian clones, Holy Death focused on their own very offbeat, dramatic and luciferian Black Metal sound. Holy Death were also able to convince us, so we joined forces to immortalize the legendary “Abraxas” demo on vinyl. With almost an hour of playing time, this is probably much more than just a rough Black Metal basement demo for many. “Abraxas” is violent but also full of mystery. Partly militant but also dramatically seasoned with operatic elements. Heavy/Speed Metal elements as well as ambient interludes round off the work and actually make it a complete full length in our opinion.
“Abraxas” will be released on two different vinyl editions and on music cassette:
One hundred copies will be released as “Die Hard” edition on red galaxy double vinyl with a large Abraxas backpatch and a bonus CD with unfinished, alternative instrumental versions and outtakes from “Abraxas” record sessions.
We don’t have to say much about the music cassette. This comes with an oversized JCard (like the original, only slightly revised). Here you are ordering the music cassette.
Cover art by Sławomir Daniec.
Photos by Jacek Kiełtyka.
Logo by Ewa Iwaszko.
Original tape layout and design by Jan Polakowski.
Poland isn't really known for its black metal acts; back in the day was the obvious Behemoth and Graveland is supposed to be some kind of cult band. But otherwise, you have to be pretty well versed in the black metal field to know a handful of those. Unfortunately, that means some awesome bands like Holy Death are left in the dark. And really, it's not like the band was a Darkthrone clone or anything, in fact, they have their very own sound, they adventured in a territory only some very few dared to; slowness. Indeed, the majority of black metal bands see speed as a key element of the whole genre, barely playing going under mid pace. While this is obviously black metal, the closest comparable band out there at the time would be Samael, but only because they share similar aesthetics.
Apocalyptic War is barely a re-edition of their '94 demo, Abraxas, on cd. It probably sounds a little better than the original, but albeit sounding a little thin the quality is surprisingly good, it's not Wrath of the Tyrants to say the least. So like I said, Holy Death really have a sound of their own - pretty much like the more known acts of the second wave - as they play a slow breed of black metal. Not only that, but they use different sound textures than those bands; avoiding frostbitten grimness and exploring the more mysterious, sinister and otherworldly depths of the genre while having the same goals as all the others. Apocalyptic War opens with "Abraxas", with almost 4 minutes until the real metal starts. It is introduced with rain, bell tolls, a brooding keyboard note, profanities being whispered in a most unsettling way. Follows an almost... electronic beat - maybe it's because the drums really do sound like a drum machine - and it fits, it fits well. The continuous bell tolls still being heard, accompanying, complementing the beat, some kind of oriental sounding samples following too. Then the guitars, only there to add texture, are being played with only the beat remaining, shortly to be accompanied by some bizarre, weird, evil keys, everything ending by the notes of a rockish guitar lead. And that was only the intro of the song. Seriously, those moments aren't that present, but whole thing almost sounds avant-gardish at times. The real black metal really starts halfway in a more recognizable fashion. What you hear being almost mid paced, you immediately notice the loud bass - louder than the guitars - rumbling a very similar riff but with a very different aesthetic. At some point the guitar may be off-road, trying to warn about what mysterious evil it saw, the bass continuing its way on the beaten ground and even flutes express some unintelligible discovery. Whispers, almost harsh, of no recognizable nature accompany the progress. Some befitting keys are also being played, emphasizing on that night's particular sombre and uncanny atmosphere until its tumultuous conclusion.
What a way to open an album, or a 56 minutes demo. It's a somewhat ambitious release, ahead of its time, though not pretentious; the guys know what they want to craft and how, that's all. While not as elaborate as "Abraxas"s intro, each song starts with some samples or ambient noises effectively setting a dismal mood for the tracks warm sound. So after "Inferno"s unsettling intro, a sole heavy - in the literal sense - slow riff starts the sinister song. Holy Death's song writing is really starting to be shown in its fullest here. Through all the bleakness, some operatic vocals are introduced and while the slowness makes the song feel less traditional in structure, some small layers of sounds are added to patterns, moments are taken a little bit further when repeated.
"Astral Nightmare" is worth of mention here. It's a mid paced track, the fastest here, as well as being the less dark. But compensating the "lack of darkness" - it's just not as dark - is the slightly different approach, exploring the more mysterious, otherworldly, almost cosmic sound hinted in "Abraxas". You have some quite melodic guitar leads making, with the help of the keys and original bass lines that particular, almost astral atmosphere. The song mixes any elements the two preceding tracks may have introduced and as another example of building up on previous used elements, additional keys are added on subsequent choruses to give an increasingly stronger aesthetic to the mood. "Sodomy of Megiddo" sees some brooding, sinister, mysterious and almost otherworldly guitar leads, the atmosphere reflecting this with the help of faint astral sounding keys.
"Necromancy" is an ambient track, using some droning keys, samples, weird sounds and the likes to give a similar sinister, gloomy atmosphere despite the lack of more aggressive instrumentation. The rest of the demo follows in the style explored before; slow, heavy, abstruse and foreboding black metal pursuing a seemingly freeform structure - the overall speed helping to give this impression - each track offering some new element. From how "Abraxas" sounds, "Prology of Death" closes the album in a parallel way, reminding you of all the darkness you've been through.
Why Holy Death are still so unheard of, when they could be considered of taking part of the black metal second wave, as well as having a sound of their own like the originators and most important bands of the style, is a good question to be asked. It could be the lack of contacts, of distribution of their two demos, or maybe they weren't that present in the scene. And if you take a look at their discography, beside these two demos, their Triumph of Evil full length from '96 and some split ep the following year, they kind of disappeared until 2001 only to release a mediocre album and resurface with a rather good one in 2005. While it's enough for some bands, they may have lacked material as well as having poor promotion for the band. Nonetheless, if you like black metal, there is no reason why you shouldn't try to get hold of Holy Death's early material, Apocalyptic War being a good place to start. It could serve as a great companion to your nightly walks under a clear sky full of stars.
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