There is no doubt that the Chilean scene in recent years has become more or less synonymous with quality and purity in the black metal circles – such raw energy is extremely rare even from someone like me – the person listening to an average of fifty new albums every day. Amongst the trendy and experimental titles, it’s a such pleasant dose fresh breath of air to come across a record like ‘Verbotene Hexerei’ – the debut full-length from Chilean black metal project TODVERHEXEN.

Todverhexen is one of the new projects, just rising with its black flame, which brings that nostalgia of the past 90s since the birth of black metal, while also bringing the specific Chilean atmosphere soaked in blood and malice, standing out brightly among the other representatives of the genre.
Rotserbaen, the project’s creator, by no means aims to impress – he simply pours out what’s packed inside as a form of natural expression, as it should be in a genre like black metal.

Kicking off with a cinematic element, the opening track „Tödliche Geißeln“ spills lightning-fast into raucous screams and crashing guitar melodies and fast drums that send us straight back to the 90s and the basement rehearsals a lot of us still remember. A deadly whiplash, without a drop of falseness and meandering through unconventional territories, with the final cold riffs of the song being the final whip setting the mark of ‘Verbotene Hexerei’ .

Fiercely carrying the slogan ‘alone against all’ , Rotserbaen subdues from the very start of the record with its chilling fast guitars and the genre’s traditional high-pitched vocals and subvocals – subtly toned down to give the record that beloved lo-fi feel , but without compromising on listenability. If you like Lamp of Murmuur, Ebony Pendant, Judas Iscariot, Drowning the Light, Wampyric Rites or Thorns, you’ll love the music here. There’s nothing veiled, experimental or new on the record – the sound follows the traditions of the genre entirely, and it certainly has the rawness and emotional charge needed to make us want to visit again and again…

There are eight tracks on the album and the total running time is around thirty-five minutes , which brings a real withdrawal at the end of the last track due to the fact that the album goes by fast and razor-sharp, leaving behind a memorable  trail of atmospheric guitars and the Rotserbaen’s ominous calls.

Navigating between more epic atmospheric soundscapes, evoking pictures of early medieval times and icy cold malevolence, ‘Verbotene Hexerei’ has its little moments of surprise with its delicate synths and melodic playful riffs that momentarily pop up around all the darkness and violent atmosphere, brightening up the atmosphere for a few seconds… before the total destruction occurs.

An album for true connoisseurs, ‘Verbotene Hexerei’ is one of the cult underground titles you can’t pass up if you’re a loyal fan of the genre. It just pulls you in and gives you exactly what you need – savagely good classic raw black metal.

Favorite track: „Presence of unluminous mysteries“ ????

Official premiere of the album:

You can now order the physical release by writing to Humanity Plague Productions at the following e-mail address: [email protected] or contact them via their FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/HumanitysPlagueProdBlackMetal.