There are a handful of bands out there whose every new song is a gift from the Devil, and one of them is unquestionably Finnish death-doom crew Hooded Menace. Every time these Tombs of the Blind Dead-obsessed oozers release a new single or album, it quickly becomes the only thing most self-respecting misanthropes want to listen to. Now, the band have dropped a new single titled “Blood Ornaments,” and fuck, it just slays.
What might take some fans aback about “Blood Ornaments,” the first single from the band’s upcoming new album The Tritonus Bell, is that it isn’t the drawn-on slime-crawl that so many of their other songs are. Instead, “Blood Ornaments” comes out of the gate with knuckles bared — there’s throttling riffs, there’s rapid-fire double-bass, there’s bellowed-rather-than-gurgled lyrics. It’s a very active, very muscular track for a band most often associated with music that sounds like mold growths, but it’s also a shitload of fun to listen to.
“There’re definitely some new flavours added to the mix, and ‘Blood Ornaments’ comes with some of our most intriguing ingredients yet – and a bloody side taste,” says guitarist Lasse Pyykkö. “There’s a contrast between death/doom misery and head-bangable heavy metal riffs like never heard before in Hooded Menace´s music, making ‘Blood Ornaments’ my favourite track from the album.
“Obviously a lot of inspiration for The Tritonus Bell comes from the usual suspects Candlemass, Paradise Lost, and Trouble, but also classic 80´s heavy metal such as Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Dio, and Ozzy Osbourne,” continues Pyykkö. “Even if you can’t always put your finger on it, they all definitely played a big role in why The Tritonus Bell turned out the way it did. When it comes to mixing and mastering, we had the pleasure of working with King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque/Sonic Train Studios, who made sure everything would sound great, and I can honestly say I’ve never been more satisfied with the results sound- and music-wise.”
Check out Hooded Menace’s “Blood Ornaments” below:
Hooded Menace’s The Tritonus Bell comes out August 27th, 2021, and is available for preorder. Check out the full tracklisting and cover art below:
- Chthonic Exordium
- Chime Diabolicus
- Blood Ornaments
- Those Who Absorb The Night
- Corpus Asunder
- Scattered Into Dark
- Instruments Of Somber Finality
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Words by Chris Krovatin
