ALBUM REVIEW: Death Divine – Hail Darkness

Hailing from the depths of Southern Carolina in the United States’ Bible Belt, where religious fervour and superstition are still rife even in the modern age, occult rock three-piece HAIL DARKNESS unleash their vintage riffs and spellbinding lyrics upon the world with their debut album Death Divine. With a sound that can be described as the bastard daughter of doom and psychedelia, the South Carolinians blend the sounds of BLACK SABBATH, T. REX, PENTAGRAM and JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – alongside some more obscure influences – with the weighty doom riffing of CATHEDRAL and ELECTRIC WIZARD. After a string of excellent singles, Death Divine takes you on a magical and gloriously retro journey through occult psychedelia and 1970s tinged rock and folk. 

With the core band made up of Jez (vocals, bass), Joshua (guitar) and Emmet (drums), and accompanied in the studio by a number of multi-instrumentalist friends – referred to as the Hail Darkness Coven – the band create exotic, expansive and hypnotic atmospheres that take you back to that golden age of the occult and spiritualist movements. With this in mind, Death Divine is a deeply complex album. Lyrically inspired – delivered in a tongue in cheek manner – by old occult movies, with some serious winks to light and dark occult works and some personal insights, coupled with the lusciously and gloriously vintage riffs and production, HAIL DARKNESS have no qualms in utterly beguiling you – or hexing you, depending on your perspective. 

From Death Divine’s outset, you’re transported into this world of shadow and ritual. Taking place in ominous and eerie buildings accompanied by the disciples of evil, this is the place where light cannot touch. Each song feels like a progression of one mighty ritual, ultimately culminating with the summoning of the Lord of Darkness himself. In what can only be described as a psychedelic fever dream, the album has a real eeriness to it, especially when the band go into the more late 1960s and early 1970s psychedelia aspects of their sound. The best examples of this are Eyes White Black Soul and the interlude track Hail Darkness.

One thing that strikes you about HAIL DARKNESS is their musical versatility in every part of this album, especially Jez’s vocals. Jez’s voice is utterly captivating throughout the album’s entirety; channelling both the powerful vintage rock singer style and the more gentle 1970s folk vocal style, there is an indescribable mystical power to her voice that is perfect for the band’s overall sound. Alongside her lyrics, this is one of the main things that will draw you back to Death Divine long after the album has finished.  

Even the album’s production is astounding. A lot of doom and heavy psych bands aim to channel that 1970s production, but only a few really achieve it – HAIL DARKNESS being one of them. From the guitar tones to the fuzzing bass and spacious drums everything has its place and duels soaked in analogue magnificence. Then you remember that this is a debut album and you’re utterly blown away by the attention to detail that the band have. This is a trio that truly live for this kind of music and embody their influences without mimicking them. With all things considered, it sends chills up your spine at how tight, cohesive and captivating Death Divine is. 

Opening the album with Luciferan Dawn, the album gets off to a spine chilling start as HAIL DARKNESS launch into their dark rituals of big riffs and eerie, echoing melodies. It reminds you of the first time ELECTRIC WIZARD launch into Return Trip, an utterly hypnotic riff that gets the ritual underway. This is followed by Cult Of The Serpent Risen, which has a similar vibe but with more of a mystical, psychedelic swagger, if the trio didn’t have you entranced from the first track they certainly do now. Hour Of The Silent Rite opens with a vocal solo from Jez with lyrics that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Macbeth-esque play. The song builds into a more vintage doom riff with anthemic choruses and bluesy guitar leads. 

With Horns Of A Beast is a darkly psychedelic track that conjures up kaleidoscopic images of ritual participants’ dancing shadows in your mind as the guitars wash over you. The aforementioned Hail Darkness showcases the folkier side of the band before they launch into Goat Of Mendes…Raise The Glass! which is a classic big riff, bluesy song that is guaranteed to get your head bobbing along. This is followed up by the heavier and attitude filled Coven Of The Blackened One, whereas Azarak! utilises the chilling Wiccan chant “Eko, eko, azarak” set to a dark and brooding doom riff and intense atmosphere. This fades into the folky and unnerving Eyes White Black Soul before the album closes with and occult rock banger See You In Hell, which is packed with blues riffs and catchy vocal melodies. 

As far as debuts go, this is a stunning effort from HAIL DARKNESS. It has everything that you could possibly need in a doomy occult rock record. There is a tangible magic to this record that cannot be described in words. Death Divine is an album you have to experience, and you certainly won’t be the same afterwards.

Rating: 10/10

Death Divine is out now via Vatican Records.

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