Hail Darkness – Death Divine
Release Date: 15th August 2024
Label: Vatican Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Occult Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Doom, 70s Rock, Retro Rock.
FFO: The Devil’s Blood, Electric Wizard, Blood Ceremony, Cathedral, Black Sabbath, Jefferson Airplane, Lucifer Rising, T Rex, Focus, Shocking Blue, Hawkwind.
Review By: Mark Waight
US band Hail Darkness have recently been described as the bastard daughter of doom and psychedelia, and on this performance, who am I to argue? Their debut album Death Divine is an often-cheeky nod to old occult B movies as well as personal insights and doodles from members of the band. The inspiration for Hail Darkness lies not only in the past but very much in the present too, as you will discover for yourself when we delve deeper into Death Divine, and you see how they have successfully bridged a gap of almost fifty years.
Hail Darkness is Jez (vocals, guitars), Joshua (bass) and Emmet (drums) and the Hail Darkness Coven (a group of multi-instrumentalist friends who help to create that rich deep sound).
Opening track Luciferan Dawn feels firmly rooted in the past with a heavy psychedelic riff and a far-out groovy festival feel throughout. The bass deepens for Cult of the Serpent Risen as it further conjures up acid trip fuelled images of ritualistic chanting and shenanigans.
The witching Hour of the Silent Rite adds a little more heat to the flames as this cauldron of heady compositions starts to bubble up nicely. Percussion heavy song With Horns of a Beast is full of echoes from the past, with mystical instruments weaving their way in and out of the cursed brew.
Self-titled tune Hail Darkness is a folk inspired short interlude before Goat of Mendes…Raise the Glass gets us back on more familiar ground with a very inspiring retro style homage to the dark.
Join the Coven of the Blackened One and get down and dirty with this trippy, cosmic, sacrificial offering to those oh so fickle Rock Gods. Black to the core, Azarak! keeps everything slow and steady on this steep descent into the very bowels of hell.
The lighter Eyes White Black Soul allows us to kick back momentarily with a gentle dreamy breeze before we close out with the aptly named anthem of a song See You in Hell which shuts the casket with a wry smile!
For anyone who loves that retro sound which is very much in vogue now, Death Divine by Hail Darkness is bang on point, and hence, well worth checking out. Hail Darkness haven’t reinvented the wheel with Death Divine, they have just blackened chromed it up and polished it to perfection! Indulge yourself and give it a spin!
(4 / 5)
