May you enjoy the outcome of the cooperation of the men of the cave and the boar of the woods, speaking of wood mysticism, ancient folk magick, and the strangeness of liquids and herbs.

Consisting of seven songs in the span of 30 minutes of Ritualistic Black Metal primitivism, the infernal I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes, the debut demo by a dynamic Black Metal two-headed entity hailing from the timeless darkness of the woods in Germany that goes by the name of Boarhammer, combines maniacal blasting and intriguing slower parts, all garnished with cavernous chants and hints of epic melodies. The lyrics speak of wood mysticism, ancient folk magick, and the strangeness of liquids and herbs. Recorded and produced by the band itself formed of The Vessel on vocals, drums and bass, and Wodwoz on the guitars and vocals, and featuring a cryptic artwork by Boarhammer together with an uncanny artist simply known as N, I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes is an unhinged concoction of feverish bursts of primitive blasting and soaring epicness, offering fans of the underworld a unique blend of sounds inspired by the first-wave Black Metal hordes of old, but open for new approaches to the genre’s core ideas.

A sinister start evolves into a raw and heavier-than-hell explosion of Black Metal entitled Riding the Hedge, with The Vessel darkly declaiming the song’s wicked words while Wodwoz extracts pure evil from his guitar. Then continuing their path of darkness it’s time for Channelling Wormwood Spirits, another infernal Black Metal extravaganza led by the reverberating bass by The Vessel, who by the way also does an amazing job with his classic beats and fills; and putting the pedal to the metal our demented Teutonic duo fires the breathtaking Spirits on Black Wings, a lesson in underground extreme music showcasing pounding drums, metallic bass jabs and strident riffs, all spiced up by The Vessel’s grim vocals, setting the bar truly high not only for the rest of the album, but for all of their future releases so compelling it is.

Drinking from the same fountain of blood as the trailblazers of the genre Mayhem, the duo offers us Tatra Wolves, a bestial and sulfurous composition where Wodwoz slashes his strings nonstop for our total delight, whereas Ritual Tusks is another ritualistic chant where Wodwoz will pierce your damned mind with his sick riffs while The Vessel keeps adding rage to the music with his blast beats. There’s absolutely no time to breathe as they bring forward one more round of obscurity in The Trees are no Trees, adding even rawer and more primeval nuances to their core sound, and let me tell you that the final result is beyond devilish. As the icing on the cake we have their cover version for Black Funeral, from Mercyful Fate’s 1983 classic album Melissa (check out the original version HERE), and  Boarhammer more than succeeded with their Stygian rendition of such old school hymn, maintaining the essence of the original song with the band’s own Black Metal twist.

The ritualistic sounds crafted by Boarhammer in I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes can be purchased from their own BandCamp page, inspiring you to join the band in the depths of the dark and sinister caves of their homeland Germany in the name of extreme music and, of course, our beloved black magick. May you enjoy the outcome of the cooperation of the men of the cave and the boar of the woods found in Boarhammer’s debut demo, and may such talented duo darken the skies even more with their undisputed metal music in all of their upcoming releases, keeping the scorching flames of Stygian and tribal Black Metal burning for all eternity.

Best moments of the album: Spirits on Black Wings and Tatra Wolves.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 Independent

Track listing
1. Riding the Hedge 4:22
2. Channelling Wormwood Spirits 3:24
3. Spirits on Black Wings 7:07
4. Tatra Wolves 4:07
5. Ritual Tusks 3:57
6. The Trees are no Trees 3:52
7. Black Funeral (Mercyful Fate cover) 2:52

Band members
The Vessel – vocals, drums, bass
Wodwoz – guitars, vocals