ALBUM REVIEW: Hierophant - "Mass Grave"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 04/11/2016

Label: Season of Mist

Hierophant can make a strong claim for angriest LP of 2016 with “Mass Grave”. The Italian wrecking crew have created a concentrated ball of molten rage and fury that will level everything its path.  This is a gloriously ugly racket that makes a suitable soundtrack for the current state of the world.

“Mass Grave” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Hymn of Perdition
2. Execution of Mankind
3. Forever Crucified
4. Mass Grave
5. Crematorium
6. In Decay
7. Sentenced to Death
8. Hierophant
9. Trauma
10. Eternal Void

The Review:

Hierophant can make a strong claim for angriest LP of 2016 with “Mass Grave”. The Italian wrecking crew have created a concentrated ball of molten rage and fury that will level everything its path

“Hymn of Perdition” establishes an air of grim anticipation with a cloud of ominous drone and dark samples. The mood is soon shattered by the 39 second piledriver that is “Execution of Mankind”. A fearsome hybrid of grindcore and death metal, drowning under a river of sludge, it’s a succinct distillation of Hierophant’ssound.

There is no let-up in intensity during the course of “Mass Grave” but the variations in attack make the onslaught all the more compelling. The title track sees the band easing up slightly on the throttle to allow elements of doomy grandeur to seep into the foreground. “Sentenced To Death” sees the tempo almost grind to a halt, a sickening chug that sees Hierophant’s sludgy tendencies given free reign.

Most punishing of all is “Eternal Void” which provides a skull-crushing finale to the album. Built around an insistent, sledgehammer riff that opens and closes the track, it is a breathless assault on the senses. There is a brief pause for breath midway through but this only serves to magnify the building-levelling power of the subsequent devastation. 

“Mass Grave” is a short but far from sweet statement from Hierophant. This is a gloriously ugly racket that makes a suitable soundtrack for the current state of the world.

“Mass Grave” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

FFO: The Secret, Celeste, All Pigs Must Die, Abaton