A Hill to Die Upon are back with The Black Nativity, a concept album focusing on the story of the Magi and told through a wide variety of musical genres in addition to the expected blackened metal, and featuring a diverse set guest vocalists that make this an album worth checking out.
A Hill to Die Upon (AHTDU) has to be the best known black metal export from Illinois/Missouri to say the least. Listeners were first exposed to AHTDU with the release of Titanic Immortal (2009) and from there the band refined and established their blackened death metal sound through the release of Omens (2011), Holy Despair (2014) and Via Artis Via Mortis (2017). Over the years the corpse paint adorned band has played a wide variety of festivals including the legendary Cornerstone Festival as well as festivals in the UK and Europe like Destruction Fest and Nordic Fest and played alongside such bands as Deicide, who directly oppose the beliefs of the band. For The Black Nativity, the band recorded at Mythic Panda Studios in TX, with former guitarist Elisha Mullins mastering. Vocals on the album are more diverse compared to previous albums due to the genres covered and Adam and Michael managed to record their vocals in just one day. Notable guest vocalists this time around include Bruce Fitzhugh (Living Sacrifice), Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ), Ole Børud (Extol),and Karl Sanders (Nile).
Right from the start of The Black Nativity, one sees how this album will be different. You get some Middle Eastern sounding strings being plucked for the intro and then clean vocals from Karl Sanders (Nile) talking about “out of sand a king shall come…. We follow the starry sky”. Clean guitars and a lone bass drum beat accompany the vocals and at this point, the listener is likely wondering what will be next.
“VENIVENIEMMANVEL” (Veni, Veni Emmanuel) immediately follows and has the band bringing the guitars and drums that one would expect although definitely not black metal speed. The slower tempo piece had darker, growled vocals and a bit of a grinding main riff. Also at this point, it’s worth mentioning that the entire album has a bit of stark, almost lonely, feel to it, which works nicely with the concept of the Magi making their lonely journey full of anticipation. “We Three Kings” continues with the blackened metal but keeps nearly traditional pacing for the traditional track and features both Adam and Michael’s growled vocals. “What Child is This?” continues with the slower tempo blackened metal and brings along Ole Barud to provide guest vocals on the traditional song, which also features some soaring choral-like clean vocals following nicely after a guitar solo that provide a nice contrast to the growled death metal style vocals. To me, keeping the original pacing of some songs is an interesting choice and given the guitars and drums almost ventures toward a doom feel.
“Left Handed Wizard” was the first track released by the band and definitely raised some eyebrows with it being what could be described as a somethat haunting folk song. Simple acoustic guitar joined at times by other voices convey that sense of waiting and longing so fitting with the other songs on the album. Michael and Adam have a Southern rock and roll side project, The Comancheros, and I can’t help but think that experience has influenced this track to some extent.
Just when you begin to wonder where the real blackened death metal is on the album, the band brings out their rendition of “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night) which has the guitars and double bass drums one may have been looking for from the beginning. Certainly the heaviest version of the song I’ve heard, yet still instantly recognizable. The French Christmas Carol “Entre le Boeuf” gets an even more blackened metal treatment in a short less than two minute blast of fury.
With “Auld Lang Syne” the band again shifts directions and goes for a slower, acoustic rendition featuring some atmospheric keyboards in the background helping to convey the overall mood. “Sacred Harp 133” brings more surprises as the song is largely driven by choral-like vocals and a folk-like feel and the occasional banjo and closing electric guitar carrying the melody. A haunting song, again keeping with the overall theme.
The band brings back “Hymn to Marduk II” this time with full guitars and drums and shouted vocals and joined by guest vocalist Bruce Fitzhugh (Living Sacrifice) and Takis Solis (Rotting Christ) and then closes with “Minuit Chretien” (O Holy Night) performed by a female vocalist and sounding as if an old radio broadcast or from a very old vinyl recording.
To be honest, I was expecting something consistently closer to Frost Like Ashes performance of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” but there is much more to this album. The collection of songs and genres on this album was certainly a surprise even if the release of the American folk-influenced “Left Handed Wizard” should have been a tip off. A Hill to Die Upon has certainly created one of the more unique albums featuring primarily what some would describe as traditional Christmas songs. With that in mind, the songs can stand on their own, but when listened to as an album, the listener gets a fuller experience and can perhaps start to see things through the eyes of the Magi from that cold, dark, lonely feel of the journey and the anticipation of Advent.
Rating: 9/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Hymn to Marduk (feat. Karl Sanders)
- VENIVENIEMMANVEL
- We Three Kings
- What Child is This (Ole Borud)
- Left Handed Wizard (My Eyes Look West)
- Stille Nacht
- Entre le Beouf
- Auld Lang Syne
- Sacred Harp 133
- Hymn to Marduk II (feat Bruce Fitzhugh, Sakis Tolis)
- Minuit Chretien
Release Date: 24 November 2023
Record Label: Rottweiler Records
Band Members
R. Michael Cook – drums, vocals
Adam Cook- guitars, bass, vocals
Nolan Osmund – guitars
Discography:
2008: Demo” demo (review)
2009: Infinite Titanic Immortal
2011: Omens (review)
2014: Holy Despair (review)
2017: Via Artis Via Mortis (review)
Social Media: Facebook / Bandcamp / Instagram / Spotify / X (Twitter)
Video for Stille Nacht
Video for Left Handed Wizard (My Eyes Look West)