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 Decayed
“From Hell” (Haloran Records, 2023)

Well, well, well… Decayed. Decayed should always be looked at as one of the pillars of Portuguese Black Metal. Their long career, honesty, and commitment, make them what they are today, and their sound is a show of that connection with Black Metal. Raised in the 80ies, the band grew and grew, without ever leaving the Underground, but battling on! Where some went a different way, J.A. kept the band focused on their primeval sound: Black Metal. In all honesty, Decayed’s first LPs are, in my modest opinion, fundamental to understand how our scene, the Portuguese scene, grew; their latest ones derive a bit from that sound, from that rawness, although they are, undoubtedly, Black Metal at heart. Years went by and sound has softened a bit, perhaps, or maybe what is available today provides a bigger margin for maneuver… perhaps.

But “From Hell” is not a new release. Well, it is, but it is not at the same time. Recorded in 2008, “From Hell” is a rerecording of some of the band’s classics like “Fuck Your God”, “HellWitch”, and “Drums of Valhalla”, along with a cover of one of my favorite Sodom hymns, “Blasphemer”, and a new track, exclusive with this release, “Infernal Waves”, by the “Hexagram” line-up. That line-up was massive, and Wanderer was a Beast. One of the good things about this release - besides the truly infernal tracks - is the production. It sounds old, dirty, and uncompromising. Bloody Hell, some of the things I love most about Black Metal, and that Decayed has always had, either you like all the releases or not - and they are a lot. Perhaps this incarnation of the band had a little more Punk to their sound, and perhaps that is the reason why I still prefer their Old School Black Metal oriented tunes, but it did give Decayed an energy that was needed to rejuvenate their sound. It did appeal to many of their fans, and it definitely brought in younger fans. “Spike, Leather, Bullets”, for example, has a bit of that energy, of that aura, if I may.

Then you get “HellWitch”, and you drop! Bloody Hell… it still rings hard today, oh yeah! The band has moved forward, “parted” with releases like “… Thus Revealed” (a house-hold favorite), and “The Conjuration…”, and it must be celebrated for their longevity in persistence! And “From Hell” does that, in a way, celebrating what the band did, exalting their legacy. “From Hell” is their legacy, look through a slightly different lens, and it rocks!   


Decayed Official Bandcamp

Haloran Records Official Bandcamp


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