Liste der Bands Thrash Black Gravehill When All Roads Lead to Hell

Riding on the wave that they have created with 2009's debut album, Rites of the Pentagram, Gravehill returns this year with their most solid effort yet with their sophomore album, When All Roads Lead to Hell.

The Metal of Death/Advocation of Murder and Suicide EP and Rites of the Pentagram album set the foundation that Gravehill went on to build their musical journey on, with the glorification of murder, violence, death and occultism. When All Roads Lead to Hell is no different, with the band further displaying a maturation in their brand of death/thrash metal.

The album opens with an intro track, filled with chaotic guitars playing in the background and a chant put on repeat, putting the listener into the right (incoherent) state of mind before telling them to "Abandon all hope, motherfuckers". Unholy Executioner begins with a slow tempo, but this is merely a prelude to the insanity that awaits the listener. What the listener first notices as the album begins proper is the nice, full production quality of the album, with guitar tones that pack a punch, complemented by the gruff vocals of Mike Abominator and the frenzy drumming of Thorgrimm. Mike displays his growth as a vocalist on the album, with a lower pitched and more guttural growling style, often layered on top of each other to provide a thicker and fuller sound.

Right from the start, guitarists "Bodybag" Bob and Hellfiend (aka Matt Harvey of Exhumed fame) entertain listeners with their thrash-inspired guitar solos, at times leaving their guitars wailing at the highest notes possible, yet at times surging ahead faster than a speeding bullet train, like a less-chaotic, more thought-out version of Slayer-styled solos. The various other influences are also constantly displayed, with harmonised lead guitar solos such as on Hell Metal Holocaust seemingly an ode to old school heavy metal, almost reminding the listener of an Iron Maiden guitar solo off any of their classic tracks. Bassist Corpsemolestor is not forgotten as the band leaves him moments for himself on Hell Metal Holocaust, with heavy and groovy bass lines driving the music forward.

Of course, the band does not leave out the element of fun, having maintained their level of melody since Rites of the Pentagram. Songs such as Devil Worshipper include anthemic, fist-pumping choruses, sure to keep crowds entertained and moving at live shows. For some reason, the starting of the final verses of the track reminds me of Venom's Black Metal as well. As per Rites of the Pentagram, spoken samples and sound effects are utilised in some of the tracks, providing a form of transition between songs and reminding listeners about the underlying themes of the songs of Gravehill, such as on Extinction and the sounds of war and martial drums at the end of Pray for War.

The only downside of the album comes with the final (hidden?) track, 7:06, featuring 7 minutes of silence before the track begins, and this is one of the major personal pet peeves (more silence than the actual song itself!). The song is a brutalised cover of AC/DC's If You Want Blood, with the personal touch of Gravehill. If anyone had thought that the fusion of hard rock and death metal was not possible, a listen to this track instantly proves him/her wrong, with the band managing to keep the same vibe of the song, complete with the old-school sounding guitar solos, yet wrecking shit up as they would with their originals. This is death 'n' roll done right.

If one thought that 2009's Rites of the Pentagram was a masterpiece, then sit tight and be prepared to be blown away with When All Roads Lead to Hell. With hardly any boring moments at all on the album, this album has now become a contender for my personal top 5 albums of the 2011.