_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/ /// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Power from Hell ::\ :: Album :: Profound Evil Presence :: :: Year :: 2019 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . :: :: Label :: Soul Erazer Records R.date :: 2024-10-08 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: SE045 S.date :: 2019-07-01 __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 260kbps :.. . Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo . . Size :: 85.52 MB . . . __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 1. Nightmare 2:04 :: :: 2. When Night Falls 3:53 :: :: 3. False Puritan Philosophies 4:06 :: :: 4. Lust... Sacrilege & Blood 4:50 :: :: 5. Nocturnal Desire 2:22 :: :: 6. Unholy Dimension 3:59 :: :: 7. Lucy's Curse 4:15 :: :: 8. Diabolical Witchcraft 5:26 :: :: 9. Into the Sabbath 3:43 :: :: 10. Elizabeth Needs Blood 5:03 :: :: 11. Demons of the Night 3:37 :: :: :: :: :: :: ------- :: .. >> 43:18 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: With the thousand nail-pocked vambraces of 1985-era Satanic :: :: speed metal and a rabid celebration of sexual bondage in hand :: :: the perverse passersby and known imbibers of Brazilian first :: :: wave black metalpunk band Power From Hell and their goat-jacked :: :: rip of Bathory and early Sodom influenced sound took their name :: :: from Onslaughtæs infamous debut with a mind for serious :: :: dedication. Born from the streets of northeastern Sπo Paulo :: :: their traditional black metal sound first became a reality in :: :: the hands of cult leader Sodomic (Arπo da Silva Pinto) as he :: :: branched off from brutal death metal band Anarkhon around 2001. :: :: No aspect of Power From Hell would change drastically between :: :: æThe True MetalÆ (2004) and æLust and ViolenceÆ (2011) in the :: :: sense that Sodomicæs vision was unperturbed by outside :: :: influences or collaborations, it was raw and lo-fi satanic :: :: speed metal of great purity. Friendship and collaboration with :: :: Whipstriker would conjure an even more serious live presence :: :: soon after and by 2014 itÆd seem that Power From Hell would :: :: assimilate most of Anarkhonæs line-up and become their major :: :: focus going forward. Nothing about æDevilÆs WhorehouseÆ (2015) :: :: felt restless or off the mark, if anything it was some of :: :: Sodomicæs best work in the puritanical black/speed metal niche, :: :: yet all signs began to point towards greater change from that :: :: high point. Here with an established name and a freshly :: :: modernized style there is bound to be some measure of :: :: disconnect between this sixth full-length and the five prior. :: :: æProfound Evil PresenceÆ is a mid-to-late 80Æs black metal :: :: album at itÆs heart but it manifests today as a cephalopod, a :: :: beast of brain and foot without a body thatÆd shirk the 90Æs :: :: and 2000Æs to pick up those 80Æs black metal structures and :: :: feed them the cthonic shadow-puppeted mythos of today. :: :: æProfound Evil PresenceÆ is less a bridge between worlds as it :: :: is a hybrid monstrosity intent on retaking the poisoned depths :: :: of todayÆs black metallic oceans and repopulating them with :: :: old, dead black metal genetics. :: :: :: :: My mind initially struggled with the idea that first wave black :: :: metal ethos could ever meaningfully connect with Power From :: :: Hellæs cited influences such as Mgla, Ascension and Cult of :: :: Fire yet, they have found a way to use modern (æepicÆ) black :: :: metal guitar techniques to shape a dark and slithering form of :: :: unquestionable black metal. Whereas a comparably favorable :: :: group like Funereal Presence takes a nigh progressive approach :: :: to expanding black/speed metal forms into epics æProfound Evil :: :: PresenceÆ finds Power From Hell flourishing with dissonance and :: :: subtle melody while still pushing for 3-5 minute speed metal :: :: song structures. The result is closer to Spiteæs æAntimoshiachÆ :: :: albeit a shade warmer with Arckanum-esque proud melodicism :: :: providing an energetic, majestic spirit without losing the :: :: jogging speed metal pace. At no point should an old fan of this :: :: band begin to shrug and walk away, though, as I would guess :: :: only the most dedicated metalpunk would take small issue with :: :: this very big change of Power From Hellæs sound. It is a big :: :: change in terms of guitar work but, the core of Sodomicæs :: :: writing and performances still roots in the first wave :: :: regardless of how wildly he bends occult black metal darkness :: :: around it youÆre still getting reverb-hollowed vocals, simpler :: :: drum patterns, and an experience powered by the riff. :: :: :: :: Press play on any one part of æProfound Evil PresenceÆ and sit :: :: through 2-3 full spins of its 42+ minute length. ItÆll be easy :: :: to do so because the album flows together as one big mid-paced :: :: stream with few standout moments. This is the only issue I see :: :: with Power From Hellæs sixth album, that it is essentially a :: :: debut within context of this new style and it may take 2-3 :: :: albums to get ærightÆ just as it did with their original sound. :: :: With that said it is still a fantastic album thatÆll likely :: :: grab many ears by surprise that mightÆve felt like their :: :: previous discography was predictable or plain. There was such :: :: conviction building in the prior two Power From Hell releases :: :: that to my ears æProfound Evil PresenceÆ feels like a bizarre :: :: release, in the literal sense, a dam thatÆd been blocked that :: :: now overflows with ambition held steadfast by worship of the :: :: old ways. Reverb and echo feed the deeper need for obscure :: :: classic black metal personality as Sodomicæs vocals direct the :: :: experience with an imposing presence. The effect is something :: :: ænew old schoolÆ in essence, closer to the triumphs of groups :: :: like Invocation Spells, Witching Hour, and Nocturnal Witch as :: :: each incorporates some level of modern black metal into their :: :: staunchly olden-built music, but at a consistent mid-pace. It :: :: is an album of details, mood and æthe momentÆ rather than a :: :: rapacious and somewhat mindless spectacle thatÆd been expected. :: :: :: :: I found myself simultaneously entertained by those details and :: :: unable to differentiate between the parts of the whole as I :: :: listened to æProfound Evil PresenceÆ. Power From Hell lost some :: :: of their reckless punk spirit in translation and this makes for :: :: a æsameyÆ listening experience that grows in character over :: :: time as its density allows details to stand out over time. For :: :: those well indoctrinated with 80Æs heavy metal it will feel :: :: appropriately æone noteÆ until variation is revealed in those :: :: subtleties, for those enthralled by blackened heavy metal :: :: variants itÆll be a damned slick gem with some unusual rhythmic :: :: play and deep-black atmosphere. For my own taste it was an :: :: experience of conflicting styles eventually melding into a :: :: successful æin the momentÆ experience. Flitting between :: :: Uada-esque atmospheric/melodic black metal riffs and blackened :: :: speed metal on ôFalse Puritan Philosophiesö is the best example :: :: of this, where theyÆre certainly a jack of several trades but :: :: not yet memorable enough to hit the repeat button. Luckily the :: :: record does flow together cleverly enough that these stylistic :: :: juxtapositions create a unified character, a consistently :: :: entertaining set of riffs that are both driving first wave :: :: black/speed metal in spirit and hallucinating spectre of :: :: oblivion in body. Giving shape to the shapeless and raining :: :: shadowed tonality upon upbeat defiance is an excellent :: :: undertaking in the hands of Power From Hell and IÆm hoping they :: :: continue to iterate within this new sound long enough to find :: :: those memorable moments that will transcend this already :: :: satisfying blender of influences applied to pure black metal. :: :: Highly recommended. For preview IÆd suggest starting with the :: :: duo of ôFalse Puritan Propheciesö and ôLustàSacrilege & Bloodö :: :: while paying close attention to how the songs connect in :: :: succession, the transition between tracks is artful in every :: :: case. Additionally, ôLucyÆs Curseö and ôInto the Sabbathö were :: :: my personal favorite tracks. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2024 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :