Hellveto - 966

J.

Old Fart
Jul 24, 2001
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The Woodlands
Hellveto – 966
Pulverised Records – ASH 030 – June 4, 2007
By Wayward_Son

hellveto2.jpg


And here it is. Hellveto’s first full length in anno 2007 has arrived. The only other release this year was the Galeon and Hellveto compilation release, which combined new material and an older demo. Granted, 2007 still has four more months to go, so anything can happen on the Hellveto front.

If you read the review for Hellveto’s previous album, In the Glory of Heroes, you’ll find this writer’s positive opinion of it, but also a few concerns regarding redundancy and overkill. It was pointed out in the review that L.O.N.’s music was far too similar, and did not show much growth between releases. Also emphasized was that his material is being released so prolifically which could create a sense of overkill for listeners.

So, was a scant eight months between full lengths enough time for L.O.N. to learn a few new tricks? Honestly, the answer is no, as 966 is simply a twin of In the Glory of Heroes. The music is still as epic, sinister, and majestic as ever, which is a positive. Still channeling the best of Summoning and Graveland to create “True Pagan Black Metal” yet never equaling either, L.O.N. once again orchestrates some very moving classically influenced black metal. The songs are still mostly mid-paced victorious romps, though L.O.N. throws some speed into the mix, which was lacking in previous releases.

Once again this writer is forced to say that L.O.N. desperately needs to change the recipe, or at least include some new ingredients. Clean, chant-like vocals would work quite well within the structures of his music. Perhaps add some acoustic interludes or breaks into the songs. Hell, throw us a curve ball and give us some angelic female vocals similar to what Abigor perfected on Nachthymnen.

In the end, 966 is just another good release from Hellveto. It is nothing spectacular, though this writer suspects that it would be more favorably looked-upon had it been the first one heard, and not the thirteenth. Hellveto can safely be called the Bolt Thrower of black metal.

Official Hellveto Website
Official Pulverised Records Website