Hadopelagial

Hadopelagial is a band formed by C.C. who is responsible for all music and instruments, and Ghoul who is responsible for the lyrics and vocals. They come from Germany and they exist since 2017 but only recently they managed to release their first full length, self-titled album in 18 March of 2020. The album was released by Satanath Records in digital and limited to 500 copies cd format and it contains eight compositions, seven Black Metal tracks and one instrumental and atmospheric, of about forty minutes of overall duration. From the first few minutes, the band makes it clear that they play a Black Metal style that, of course, its main characteristic is brutality, but it has a lot more to offer than that.

As mentioned above, the brutality is the main element of the album and it can be found in various forms such as the hyper speedy, hateful riffs with the mercilessly pounding drums or in the mid-tempo parts where brutality meets darkness and despair, as also in the fewer, slower parts where the more depressive feelings and atmosphere make their appearance. The riffs are dark, tremolo riffs, melodic and expressive, showing various influences, from Scandinavian to French Black Metal and from melodic to depressive and raw. The atmosphere is dark and chaotic creating various dark images, other times hateful, murderous and distractive while other times depressing and self-destructive. The tracks last from five to eight minutes and their structure is good with various changes in atmosphere and speed and the use of bridges and passages, while the use of choruses is absent, without having much impact to the overall quality of the tracks. So, the tracks can be characterized as interesting and quite enjoyable for the listener.

The guitars are the ruling instrument and C.C.’s performance is nearly perfect, with a lot of darkness and brutality but also feeling and passion. They are played with accuracy, without mistakes and nice technique. The bass is audible in the majority of tracks, it is massive, fast and brutal, adding a chaotic, bassy essence to the compositions. The drums are programmed but their sound is good and their lines are interesting without mistakes. The vocals are harsh, distorted Black Metal vocals, cold, hateful and expressive, giving an industrial approach to the whole album. The mixture is balanced, highlighting the guitars, while the production is clean and warm, so the final result is at the same time warm and harsh, chaotic and clean. The lyrics are not contained in the cd and they are written in English. I am not sure about what they are about, but by their titles, combined with the feeling received by the music, I guess they talk about Cosmos and Satanism.

Hadopelagial have made a decent effort and have offered an interesting album. If I also consider that this is their first effort, although both their members have experience in other bands too, I appreciate the album more. The songs I liked most are Hadopelagial, Helios and Amunre. This one is for those of you who are searching of brutal yet melodic Black Metal, inspired by the French and Scandinavian scene.