HAIL SPIRIT – ” Oi Maggoi”
Code 666 Records – 2014 – Greece
This is the second album from this band and I must say that I haven’t heard of them yet so I wasn’t sure what to expect from them. What can I say after the first listening of this album? I must say that I am surprised since I didn’t expect that what I heard. The music of this Greek trio is very complex and full of little elements that at the first listening sound weird and maybe out of their place, but after the second or third listening, it all starts to make sense. Imagine a weirder version of Melechesh. That is how they sound. But, when I say weirder, I don’t mean it in a bad way. The first song called “Blood Guru” has a lot of changes in it. From different sounds to different styles so you don’t get the feeling like that you are listening to one song. It sounds more like you are listening to several songs in a row which perfectly fits into each other. The second song has a certain “happy feeling” in it which reminds me a bit of Finntroll, but not so much in a Folk way. The main part of the music of Hail Spirit Noir is Black Metal without any question and the band isn’t afraid of showing that, but on the other hand, they are also not afraid of experimenting. Every song has a certain something which gives to it something individual and makes this album an interesting journey. At certain moments, they even remind me of their fellow country men from Aenaon which are also on the same label like Hail Spirit Noir. This album is a truly surprise for me and I see that I will have to check out their first album as well.
9/10