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Kalaratri
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:22 pm
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PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 11:00 am 
 

Hooded Menace will release their sixth full-length, The Tritonus Bell, through Season of Mist on August 27. From the press release:

Quote:
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. 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.”


Image

Tracklisting:
1. "Chthonic Exordium" (1:16)
2. "Chime Diabolicus" (8:10)
3. "Blood Ornaments" (9:01)
4. "Those who absorb the Night" (5:52)
5. "Corpus Asunder" (7:17)
6. "Scattered into Dark" (9:05)
7. "Instruments of Somber Finality" (2:45)
8. "The Torture Never Stops" (W.A.S.P. cover) (4:07)

Blood Ornaments has been released as the first single:

Spoiler: show


Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed is one of my favorite death/doom releases of the past decade so I'm excited for this, especially with the increased heavy metal influence mentioned in the press release. You can definitely hear it in the first single they've released.

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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7607
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 12:22 pm 
 

This sounds really good. The heavy metal influences are surprising, but the band seems to know how to incorporate them properly.

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BrainScan
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:33 pm
Posts: 17
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 12:50 pm 
 

Strong lead single. The album art I'm iffy on; it's a return to the campy style of their first few but I really loved the much classier Ossuarium art.

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fourrobert13
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:31 pm
Posts: 866
Location: Old School
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 12:53 pm 
 

I'm looking forward to this and really enjoyed the single...the artwork however, reminds me of Castle Greyskull from He-man. Very cartoonish IMO.
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draconiondevil
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:21 pm
Posts: 710
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 12:53 pm 
 

Admittedly I haven't listened to as much of this band as I should have but that new song slaps and I'm always down for death/doom. Very excited for this one.

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ModusOperandi
Metalhead

Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 12:52 am
Posts: 1553
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 1:47 pm 
 

Got mine. I think it's more than safe to say by now that Hooded Menace are one of the most consistent bands of the 2000's, at the very least of over the last decade. And agreed, the traditional heavy metal riffs and influences definitely work for what they're going for.
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thrashmaniac87
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Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 747
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 1:50 pm 
 

I'm really curious about how they'll handle a W.A.S.P. cover. I guess the seemingly odd choice sort of makes sense since they're adding more traditional heavy metal elements into their sound.
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doomicus
Metalhead

Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 5:58 am
Posts: 1261
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 6:34 pm 
 

Love the cover art. Really thrilled to hear they're upping the traditional metal elements of their sound. They've always nailed throwing in Pentagram and Candlemass into their doom/death, so I'm sure the band will excel with this too. This has the markings to lead me to believe that this could end up as one of their strongest albums to date.
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Zerberus
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:29 pm
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Location: Denmark
PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 9:18 am 
 

I will never like new Hooded Menace as much as when Lasse fronted the band, but their stuff has been consistently awesome over the years, so I'll definitely be spinning this.
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Razakel
Nekroprince

Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:36 pm
Posts: 6232
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 12:29 pm 
 

Zerberus wrote:
I will never like new Hooded Menace as much as when Lasse fronted the band, but their stuff has been consistently awesome over the years, so I'll definitely be spinning this.


Why? I really don't think anything was lost when he stopped doing vocals. On the contrary, Ossuarium is easily my favourite Hooded album. I've always been a fan, but they really outdid themselves with that one - a modern death/doom classic. This single sounds great too!

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lordcatfish
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:44 pm
Posts: 1461
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 1:16 pm 
 

Wow, that new song is really good. Wasn't sure what to expect after reading the description, but it was engaging throughout. Loved their last album, and now really looking forward to this one.
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doomicus
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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 6:51 pm 
 

On the topic of the vocals of Hooded Menace: Lasse definitely has great lows that suits the band tremendously, but he is also extremely one dimensional. Harri is much more versatile, and while he doesn't get quite as low, he still definitely can bring the ghoulish bellows when needed. I think over all the band benefits from a change in the vocal department.
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Pelata
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:16 pm
Posts: 186
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 9:16 pm 
 

This is going to crush! I have grown into a big Hooded Menace fan!

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LithoJazzoSphere
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Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:11 pm
Posts: 3576
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 11:55 pm 
 

Definitely digging the new track. I wasn't sure what to make of their sound evolving in that way, but so far the results are quite auspicious.

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forestcorpse
Metal freak

Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:06 pm
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Location: Rainy west coast of Norway
PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2021 11:58 am 
 

Awesome....!
This band never fails.

And awesome artwork!

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Zerberus
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:29 pm
Posts: 2325
Location: Denmark
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2021 3:32 am 
 

Razakel wrote:
Why? I really don't think anything was lost when he stopped doing vocals. On the contrary, Ossuarium is easily my favourite Hooded album. I've always been a fan, but they really outdid themselves with that one - a modern death/doom classic. This single sounds great too!


Mostly just a matter of taste. I like Lasse's dry, cavernous style more than Harri's style, even if they are pretty similar.
After Never Cross the Dead I also feel like the music took a slightly different direction that I just don't like as much. But they're still great
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IxI_KILLING
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 3:10 pm
Posts: 276
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2021 4:00 pm 
 

Pre-ordered my vinyl last night on bandcamp. Beyond excited to hear this record.
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AnImperfectCircle
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 4:22 pm
Posts: 6
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2021 11:13 pm 
 

Sounds badass, and the artwork is perfect.

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Kalaratri
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:22 pm
Posts: 2870
PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:18 pm 
 

The second single is out:


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mirons
Metalhead

Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 12:59 pm
Posts: 660
Location: Latvia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:48 am 
 

The new single reminds me of mid-era Carcass alot (both in tone and riffs), mixed with some Candlemass. I had missed the first single which now I can confirm is indeed awesome. This one isn't bad either, but since it was the first of the two that I heard, it took me by surprise - melodeath was not what I expected from this band.

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Pitiless Wanderer
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:34 pm
Posts: 1710
Location: Ankara
PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:34 am 
 

These singles both sound awesome. I've let these guys slip under my radar over the years, but I'll definitely purchase this and give them a fair shot.

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Kalaratri
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:22 pm
Posts: 2870
PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2021 12:20 pm 
 

The third single is out:


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matras
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 6:01 am
Posts: 1222
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:59 pm 
 

It's really hard not to listen to this. And I'm not gonna do it. I don't like this thing when bands release half the album through singles before the full-length proper. But if it's as good as the earlier two songs the album's gonna be dope.

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Lyrici17
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:20 am
Posts: 1445
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2021 12:03 am 
 

My copy arrived early in the mail today, and I am very pleased. It still sounds like Hooded Menace while sounding fresh. It's early, but possibly my favorite since "Effigies of Evil".
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Kalaratri
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:22 pm
Posts: 2870
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 11:28 am 
 

The full album stream is up:


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BrainScan
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:33 pm
Posts: 17
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 11:50 am 
 

The singles were definitely the best of the lot for me, but the full project is still high quality. Corpus Asunder is a cool, experimental track for them.

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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7607
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 12:04 pm 
 

One track in so far and it's really cool; reminds me a bit of a melodic variant of Never Cross the Dead.

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TheMysticWombat
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:29 am
Posts: 777
Location: CA, U.S.A.
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 3:14 am 
 

I stopped listening to them a long time ago once the old singer left, but now I need to hear everything I've missed: for some fucking reason these songs are GREAT: it's not really like the old stuff but damn, why do I dig this so much?

It's like if they studied The Love Song of Gotho, Hunchback of the Morgue(!!!) and kept developing from there. Gonna have to buy this.

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joppek
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Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:36 am
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Location: Suomi Finland Perkele
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:10 am 
 

yeah, this is fantastic - reminds me a lot of amorphis' tales from a thousand lakes, which i don't think i've ever said about any other album i've heard
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colin040
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Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
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Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:21 am 
 

joppek wrote:
yeah, this is fantastic - reminds me a lot of amorphis' tales from a thousand lakes, which i don't think i've ever said about any other album i've heard


What? How so? :lol:

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Frank Booth
Can Bench 450

Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:29 pm
Posts: 1515
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:57 am 
 

Yeah, this is a really nice change. They seemed like they were heading towards straight funeral doom for a while and were good at that, but this is like their early shit with a whole lot of additional Mercyful Fate worship and it's great.

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Twisted_Psychology
Metal freak

Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 8:22 pm
Posts: 6260
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 10:08 am 
 

It's been a while since I listened to Hooded Menace but this is some great stuff! It seems so rare for a death/doom band to really get this riffy but I'm totally into it on first listen.
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MeltedFace
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:29 am
Posts: 656
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 1:28 pm 
 

Really digging the album so far. I'm curious though, can anyone provide any insight as to why they chose to produce the album at a relatively low volume? The production has great separation and balance, so it must be a stylistic choice. I don't recall any other Hooded Menace albums being so "quiet".

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Lyrici17
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:20 am
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Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 6:33 pm 
 

TheMysticWombat wrote:
I stopped listening to them a long time ago once the old singer left....


If it's worth noting at all, the previous vocalist, Lasse Pyykkö, is still in the group (and has always been the band's primary songwriter), he's just playing guitar now (and I think bass too on the recordings).
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narsilianshard
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Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:22 pm
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Location: PDX
PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:27 pm 
 

MeltedFace wrote:
Really digging the album so far. I'm curious though, can anyone provide any insight as to why they chose to produce the album at a relatively low volume? The production has great separation and balance, so it must be a stylistic choice. I don't recall any other Hooded Menace albums being so "quiet".

That's a decision made by the mastering engineer, which happens to be Andy LaRocque in this case. There's a lot of history and debate about mastering levels. Very generally, if the final product is quieter than you're used to, that likely means they were going for a more dynamic mix, which you mentioned you noticed. A less dynamic mix means the whole thing is louder, with sacrifices the gaps between loud and quiet. I'm in the camp of wanting more dynamics; not caring about the loudness because I can always just turn my stereo up.
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henkkjelle
Metal freak

Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:54 pm
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:40 pm 
 

Were these guys always so heavy on the melody? I always thought of them as meat and potato death/doom and never ended up checking them out properly. I'm really digging this.

colin040 wrote:
joppek wrote:
yeah, this is fantastic - reminds me a lot of amorphis' tales from a thousand lakes, which i don't think i've ever said about any other album i've heard


What? How so? :lol:


I was getting a slight Amorphis vibe listening to the last part of Those Who Absorb the Night.
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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7607
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:48 pm 
 

henkkjelle wrote:
Were these guys always so heavy on the melody? I always thought of them as meat and potato death/doom and never ended up checking them out properly. I'm really digging this.


It's why I've started to get interested once the 2018 album came out, which is also rich in melody. The earlier albums aren't bad, but to me, they drag on with an occasional good riff here and there.

henkkjelle wrote:
I was getting a slight Amorphis vibe listening to the last part of Those Who Absorb the Night.


That lead-melody section reminded me more of Paradise Lost actually.

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TheMysticWombat
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:29 am
Posts: 777
Location: CA, U.S.A.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:45 pm 
 

Lyrici17 wrote:
TheMysticWombat wrote:
I stopped listening to them a long time ago once the old singer left....


If it's worth noting at all, the previous vocalist, Lasse Pyykkö, is still in the group (and has always been the band's primary songwriter), he's just playing guitar now (and I think bass too on the recordings).


Hmm! I saw them live 5 years ago with the current singer so I got confused as hell (they still kicked ass though even if the songs were actually upped in tuning, yes, up and not down), man I really need to do my homework.

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I Am the Law
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2003 1:46 pm
Posts: 677
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:39 am 
 

I am seeing a lot of praise for this one so I guess I am alone here but I don't really care for it. The doom/death has basically been stripped away in favor of heavy metal with a few doomy sections and a fair amount of Mercyful Fate influence. The songs kind of tedious to me. They are too long and lack enough good ideas to fill the longer runtimes over the course of a whole album. I guess I'll just stick with the previous few albums.

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An Ferbasach
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed May 31, 2017 11:43 pm
Posts: 58
Location: Scotland
PostPosted: Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:34 pm 
 

I love the addition of more heavy metal influence to their sound. They've really done a great job of constantly evolving and still producing top quality albums.

Definitely a contender for AOTY.

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