Album review: Hellbutcher – Hellbutcher

Hellbutcher is not a man given to ambiguity. Across three decades as the mouthpiece for Swedish black metal terrors Nifelheim, the Maiden-obsessed frontman has earned a name for himself as a metal maniac of the highest order, and of the most unadulterated stripe. Following the demise of his previous band, he’s got right back on his horse, doubling down on his output.

Earlier this year, he showed what a surprisingly good singing voice he has on true doom supergroup Friends Of Hell’s excellent second album God Damned You To Hell. Here, with a new band under his own name, he continues to uphold the bad name of black thrashing mayhem with a solo debut that sees him carrying on his worship at the altar of all things heavy and evil. It’s a diabolical riot.

Nifelheim fans will have much to celebrate here. The Sword Of Wrath, Violent Destruction and Hordes Of The Horned God are all brilliantly ferocious onslaughts of teeth-gnashing black metal, loaded with catchy harmony and punch-along chorus bits. There’s shades of Mercyful Fate’s haunting melody, Motörhead’s eruptive power, the full-speed-ahead adrenaline of Exciter, all shot through with Satan's unholy power, and executed (read that either way) with the expert touch of people for whom this stuff is deeply engrained.

And that’s the thing. You don’t get this good or earn Hellbutcher’s stripes easily. Where he is now is the result of decades being forged in white-hot fires, never wavering from his path. So no, Hellbutcher is not a man given to ambiguity, and he remains one of the underground's most untarnished maniacs. But in case you needed it spelling out: heavy metal, heavy metal, heavy metal. Have we said it enough?

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Nifelheim, Watain, Mercyful Fate

Hellbutcher is out now via Metal Blade