From the depths of the black metal underground, comes one of its most elite figures with a new band and an even more evil attitude. Hellbutcher upheld the bad name of real black metal with an iron fist, as frontman of legendary Swedish act Nifelheim. Now, with this eponymous new band, the frenzied mission continues: nothing less than total metal maniac will do.
Following the end of Nifelheim, who played their final show in late 2022, Hellbutcher himself wasted no time in forging forward. “I realized I needed to create my own band to uphold the true spirit of metal. I was incredibly inspired!” Teaming up with old compadres in evil, guitarists Necrophiliac (also of Mordant) and Iron Beast, bassist Eld, and drummer Devastator (ex-Nifelheim), Hellbutcher quickly set about bringing this vision to life.
From the album’s opener “The Sword Of Wrath,” Hellbutcher‘s intent is loud and clear: Channeling the spirit of Venom, Bathory, Iron Maiden, Exciter, Motörhead, Mercyful Fate, and the aggressive spirit of true heavy metal.
Elaborating on the band’s latest single, ‘Hordes Of The Horned God’ was inspired by an old Dissection song where Jon Nödtveidt mentions “I crafted the song with an epic yet raw and thrashing feel. The intro riff recurs in various forms, shaping both the chorus and the end of the song’s mid-section. Additionally, our great guitarist, known as Iron Beast, delivers some fantastic guitar solos on this track.” Stream the new single below.
In a short time, they had amassed enough material to record their raging, hellish, self-titled debut album. Recording in various locations around Sweden, such as Devastator‘s own Red And Black Hall Drum Studio and Iron Beast’s Chrome Studios, and producing and mastering everything themselves – “No need for an outside producer since we knew exactly how our band should sound.” – it is a record that stands proud and unambiguous as a work or pure, metallic mayhem.
With an enviable musical pedigree and a killer album to their name, Hellbutcher are certain to scorch a mark onto the black metal scene. The man himself believes this could be even more devastating than his previous output. “I believe this band has the potential to surpass Nifelheim; we’ve accomplished more in a year than I did in the last decade with Nifelheim,” Hellbutcher states. “The key difference lies in the fact that this band shares a common goal. I am now filled with tremendous inspiration, and I plan to create new songs, records, and gigs at a completely different pace than before.”
Insisting in so many words that posers should die, and promising that their live shows “will be a neck-breaking experience,” the underground is about to be hit with an outbreak of evil unlike anything it has seen for a long time. Time to turn the cross upside down: Hellbutcher is here, and they mean evil business.
“Hellbutcher” will be released on May 31st digitally and in the following physical formats and special editions:
- Jewel Case (EU + US)
- “Metal” Vinyl (EU + US)
- Special Edition (EU – CD, DVD, Patch)
- Special Edition (EU – LP, DVD, Patch) Orange Yellow Marbled Vinyl
- 180g Black Vinyl
- Ash Grey Smoke Vinyl (EU – Ltd. 300, Sound Pollution exclusive)
- Blood Stained Ice Splatter Vinyl (EU – Ltd. 300)
- Red “Black Dust” Vinyl (EU – Ltd. 200, Sweden Rock Mag exclusive)
