Black metal solo projects are not the norm by any means so when Hell’s Enemy released two excellent ep’s in a couple months of 2024, it was certainly impressive. Now Hell’s Enemy is back with an atmospheric/ambient black metal release, West of Eden, which is equally impressive.
The heavily forested Pacific Northwest in the US seems like the perfect backdrop for an ambient black metal project, which fits with the Hell’s Enemy release West of Eden, in contrast to the previous two ep’s released in 2024, Hymns of Eternal Victory and No Dawn for Demon Kind, which were more technical death, extreme black metal in style. The mastermind behind Hell’s Enemy is Frederick Blauer who had played in some metal bands and as he was converting to Catholicism in 2023 decided to start Hell’s Enemy as a solo project. Being self-employed and obsessively writing, has allowed for the release of the two ep’s mentioned earlier along with their instrumental version counterparts as well as a single and now the atmospheric/ambient black metal West of Eden, which Frederick describes as a very personal record, documenting his feeling of being disconnected from his heritage and despite being at home spiritually in Catholicism, carrying a secret grief the Welsh call hireath.
West of Eden opens up with “Exiled”, a keyboard track that serves as an intro to the album and does a good job of setting the somber, meditative tone for what is to come. It reminds me a bit of some of the opening keyboards for Frost Like Ashes songs and that creates a sense of longing, waiting for the heaviness that is to come. “West of Eden begins with the near droning guitars common for the genre accented by the keyboards, which add color and texture to the track. Much like the previous ep’s, production and mixing are excellent which is more important in this genre to ensure the emotions behind the music are conveyed. The black metal vocals, though minimal are powerful and sound as if they are at a distance from the music, providing a haunting element as they describe the restless feelings of yearning to be in a place that is home.
“Petrichor” opens with some acoustic guitar before settling back into the cold, ambient black metal in a song perfectly crafted to convey what one would experience being in the damp, forest scene of the album cover. The overall tone in the guitars is surprisingly bright but somehow almost melancholy at the same time, which is something I enjoy in this genre. The keyboards complement the guitars well and the distant screams add a nice element to the overall feeling, which becomes even stronger as the guitars fade away and there are only the keyboards remaining.
“Bloodlines” is quite a different song from the preceding ones with an abrasive guitar riff driving things as it becomes more a traditional black metal song although at the pace of a doom metal track. The starkness of the guitars in the song stand out and fit with the vocals describing the feeling of being ‘rootless’.
“Secret Name” brings the atmospheric/ambient back with whispered vocals layered in among a keyboard/string melody and slow drum beat that is eventually joined by and overwhelmed by the guitars until they fade, leaving the ambient keyboards to mostly finish out the song. Topically, “Mystery of Creation” goes hand in hand with “Secret Name” but from a stylistic standpoint is more similar in structure to that of “Bloodlines”. The raspy, dark black metal vocals work really well and are more prominent here than on other tracks and the song shifts from quiet moments to louder, more frantic guitar-driven ones.
“Fatherland” is one of the more complex songs on the album with quieter moments and incorporation of a complex riff among the ringing chords and droning guitars found elsewhere. The album closes with “Hireath” which starts out with some atmospheric keyboards fairly similar to some of those on previous tracks and is then joined by the drums and guitar with chords ringing out before a second guitar is layered in providing a sense of melody. Whispered vocals over the keyboards and the mournful guitar tones provide a sense of being alone and at peace.
Hell’s Enemy have gone in a very different direction from the technical death/extreme metal found on the earlier releases and done so very successfully. Comparisons to the Agalloch and Vials of Wrath are obvious and valid but primarily just for the use of common elements and structures. At times abrasive, at others contemplative and longing, West of Eden transports the listener to a place among the forests, surrounded by nature and the mystery of God’s creation.
Rating: 9/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Exiled
- West of Eden
- Petrichor
- Bloodlines
- Secret Name
- Mystery of Creation
- Fatherland
- Hiraeth
Release Date: January 9, 2025
Record Label: Wyrmslayer Records
Band Members
Frederick Blauer – all instruments, vocals
Weblinks
Bandcamp: https://hellsenemy.bandcamp.com/album/west-of-eden
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellsenemymusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiPYT-AHLj5ME2KN589n2Dw
Wyrmslayer Records: https://wyrmslayerrecords.com/