Evil Triumphs Again

This is the first proper album from Bonehunter, after several shorter releases including splits with Sabbat (the Japanese, rather than the British one) and Shitfucker, no less. They are another band looking to bring a rock and roll edge to black metal, or else a black metal edge to rock and roll. If bands like Midnight, Chapels or Evilnight do the latter, Bonehunter are more about the former, if that makes any sense. What I mean is, they come across as a black metal band at heart, with a strong influence from Motorhead and the Misfits, rather than the other way round. Even though the cover art is a bear in a leather jacket.

Indeed, there are tracks here which have a very strong Nordic black metal feel- most noticeably something like Symbold of the Curse which really channels more raggedy Finnish compatriots like Sargeist or Behexen, albeit with a stronger lust for fast tempos. And these kind of riffs are never far from the surface. The whole album is delivered in this icy guitar tone which gives even very bouncy tracks with hook-laden choruses, like the Misfits-channelling Devil Metal Punks (sort of like a manifesto statement, I think), or the title track, a sour-faced black metal edge. Songwriting-wise, it’s impressive how fluently they unite black metal riffs with Motorhead-derived ones. A lot of people would like this, if they heard it.