Finnish death metal kings Hooded Menace have returned with quite possibly heaviest album of the year. Darkness Drips Forth clocks in at over forty three minutes with only four songs present, but what it may lack in speed and technicality is more than redeemed with its ruthlessly crushing brutality and haunting atmosphere that is guaranteed to send chills down your spine.
It makes perfect sense the band’s name was derived from the title of a horror film because this album could easily function as the ideal soundtrack for the genre. Horror flick samples are used effectively at certain points throughout the record to add a haunting sense of agony and the thunderous growls drowned in reverb provided by vocalist Lasse will prompt you to change your trousers immediately.
This mammoth of an album keeps its hind legs firmly grounded in the band’s classic doom/death sound but uses the rest of its strength to venture into sudden yet well-executed tempo changes. The guitar work differs from the band’s previous works because it occasionally draws upon riffs more along the melodic spectrum of death metal. Some of the effectively placed solos may bring acts such as At the Gates or early 90’s era In Flames to mind.
The risks that the band chose to take to expand their sound are what makes this album truly stand out. Lengthy doom songs rely on atmosphere and such is an art Hooded Menace has mastered fully. Look no further if you’re searching for an album that sounds like it was recorded straight from the depths of hell. Darkness Drips Forth has you covered.