Helel – A Sigil Burnt Deep Into The Flesh

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Originally released in 2009, “A Sigil Burnt Deep into the Flesh” is the first and to date unique studio album for French band HELEL. Dead Seed Productions is now re-releasing this album from a band with more than a few arrows in their quiver, a quiver made of a black metal chaos underlying HELEL thundering music.

We can hear some ANOREXIA NERVOSA in their speeding yet cold and raging sound, enriched by symphonic inserts. We can hear industrial fading away on the out of this world vocals. All this contribute to a general dehumanization feeling of this project, with a post-apocalyptic and martial attitude permeating all this release, built on a chaotic world where hellish suffering and tortures reign.

We have the feeling of ancient legends of untold sufferings melted with a cyber-future, ancient spirits clothed in modern dresses. Most remarkable in the expressivity of the release is the vocal mixture, pushing each track to the limit in an unstoppable retching of black chaos onto the listener, mortally embracing yet irresistible for the ears.

27 mins may be a bit short for a full release: this seems to be the only flaw in a black pearl for those who can see beyond the traditional boundaries of black metal.

Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Memorability: 7
Production: 7