Review: Helvetestromb “Demonic Excrements Cursed with Life”

Helvetestromb “Demonic Excrements Cursed with Life”
Wormhole Death

As album titles go, Demonic Excrements Cursed With Life, is right up there, as indeed are several of the 11 creatively named songs that make up Helvetestromb’s overdue debut full length release.

And if that has your average vicar falling over the pulpit then the following band names are unlikely to ease his discomfort, with vocalist Anal Desekrator, Grym Ejakulator on guitar and Überführer responsible for the pummelling percussion.

Helvetestromb started out as a quartet under the name of Skoll, which sounds dangerously similar to a popular lager from about 30 years ago. This confusion was removed last year when Helvetestromb (Hell Tornado) took on a new entity in which the original four-man line-up was shred to three aforementioned brothers.

Musically Demonic Excrements Cursed With Life is blister-inducing fast, rawer than an uncooked sausage and full of blasphemous bravado, as evidenced with song titles such as ‘Holy Christian Airstrike’ and bowel-loosener ‘The Demon Bell’.

But these guys can lay down meaty riffs that will have a vegetarian heading straight for the exit as evidenced on the second number ‘Restless Satan.’

‘Skitberget’ is an explosion of spite and spittle with some great bellowed vocal grunts from Anal Desekrator and scorched solo guitar work that really helps give the track a corrosive edge.

Helvetestromb occasionally mix things around a little with doomier, slower strains such as during their grinding first few volleys of ‘Kloakerna under Hel,’ the album’s longest track, but most of the time they’re happy to attack every song as though it’s their last. That’s certainly the case on the 90-second tom-bashing ear assault ‘Bog of Eternal Stench,’ with ‘Warmongo’ immediately picking up the blastbeat baton so quickly you almost fail to realise Helvetestromb have moved onto the next song.

Full marks for imaginative song titles but if the rib-crushing ‘Sifting Excrements (Through the teeth)’ leaves a bad taste in the mouth be sure to rinse thoroughly after the hellish album closer ‘Morningstar-Whore crusher.’

Wormhole Death Records always take things as far as they can go and that’s certainly the case here with Demonic Excrements Cursed With Life. Helvetestromb have a punk-like rawness to their sound which makes for a robust, but nevertheless rewarding, ride. Hold on tight.