Hellsaw - Phantasm (CD)

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These Austrians have not a purpose to impress you by playing something different or new into Black Metal, and their second album confirms this for sure. Of course, if something has inspiration inside and is coming from the heart of an artist verifying its existence, the previous doesn't have any sense, but in Phantasm I don't believe that any experienced ear would find something terrifyingly good.
HELLSAW started in 2003 with the release of their demo entitled Sins Of Might and two years later their debut Spiritual Twilight was out by Black Attack. There is also a vinyl version of this album by Temple Of Darkness Records that was limited to 500 copies. Except all these, add also a split with VARULV via Westwall Produktion, including the song The Inner Revenge Of Nature which is present in this album, too.
Some general information that will help you imagine better their sound is a melodic touch with several changes in tempos and riffing, plus references varied between MARDUK, DISSECTION and the Norwegian side of Black Metal. It's also clear that they want a live air in their compositions, helping you doing headbanging. It's a band full into gigs and concerts; in this December there is a tour with SHINING and SKITLIV (the new band of Maniac, former vocalist of MAYHEM) playing in lands like Germany, England, Switzerland, France and Austria.
Some elements are remarkable here, the production is cool (made by Victor Bullok of DARK FORTRESS) but there is so much melody in some songs that I can't stand it at all. So Far… for example it's difficult to call it a Black Metal song while some other melodies, like in In Memory, are so sweet and happy that pull me out from the album. Some songs could be Power Metal like The Inner Revenge Of Nature, which is not so bad, but I expected to listen something more dark here. Include to all these a nothingness of feelings, Black Metal feelings, making Phantasm a mediocre album or just a happy headbanging fun album.
Musically, HELLSAW are not for throwing them to Kaiadas but the hundreds of releases just buried it. I hope any future release to be better and more meaningful.