KILLING FOR COMPANY – House of Hades

Let me start off by saying that my first encounter with this Norwegian death metal combo appropriately named Killing for Company was a most pleasant one and that I grew to love them more and more as time went on. Rotten and catchy death metal that reeks of corpses, coffins, and cardinal sins. Oh yes, this is fucking awesome!

As I indicated before, the more I listened to "House of Hades", the more it grew on me. The music and lyrics are firmly rooted in old-school death metal, and these guys have obviously been influenced by some of the usual suspects when it comes to classic death metal (Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Death, and the likes). As you can probably imagine then, there is absolutely nothing modern or technical about this disc. Everything oozes old school; the riffs are catchy, the vocals are dark and depraved, the guitar leads are memorable, and the sound is raw and organic. I also love the artwork and layout. The songs are mostly mid-tempo and crushing, but occasionally a fast-paced part creeps in and adds a bit of variety to the proceedings. The song named "Iron Coffin" is a perfect example of that. The use of keyboards is tasteful and broadens the soundscape a bit not to mention that it also adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the record.   

While "House of Hades" is a nod to 80s death metal and very much "stuck in the past", if you will forgive me for using such a lame phrase, the nine morbid and atmospheric hymns that constitute this album are all solid and entertaining, so if you are looking for a great throwback to the good old days this sick opus is it.

https://killingforcompany.bandcamp.com/