Album Review – Yskelgroth / Bleeding of the Hideous (2023)

After almost 15 years, this Spanish Black Metal horde is finally back in action and will summon all creatures of the underworld with their ruthless sophomore opus.

After a hiatus of 14 years, the devilish Spanish Black Metal horde Yskelgroth is back with a new and pulverizing album, titled Bleeding of the Hideous, the follow-up to their 2010 opus Unholy Primitive Nihilism. Although the band was formed back in 2000 with the aim of creating a ferocious and savage blend of Death and Black Metal, the project fell apart in 2007 when frontman Dave Rotten (Avulsed, Christ Denied, Decrapted, Holycide, Putrevore) moved to Germany, but they relaunched their evil beast in 2008 when Dave together with guitarist and bassist Vicente J. (Decrapted, Golgotha, Holycide, Unbounded Terror) teamed up to write songs for their debut album. Now in 2023, alongside Javier Fernández (aka Nexus 6) of bands like Harmpit, Nexus 6 and TodoMal on drums, synths and guitars, Yskelgroth will summon all creatures of the underworld with Bleeding of the Hideous, a ruthless metal attack comprised of nine sulfurous songs with an even more complex, twisted and intricate sound highly influenced by Myrkskog, Angelcorpse and Emperor, among other Black Metal giants, that will leave you craving more, all embraced by the infernal artwork by Venezuelan artist John Quevedo Janssens.

Infuriated and epic Black Metal flows from all instruments from the very first second in The Morbid Earth before Dave arises from the underworld with his demonic roars and screeches, being therefore highly recommended for fans of the iconic Immortal; whereas Javier is infernal behind his drums in Prone to Gobble Life while Vicente and Javier himself provide us with a technical yet blackened riff attack. Furthermore, Dave also delivers his more demonic guttural from Avulsed, making the whole song even heavier. Then the sinister, phantasmagorical keys by Javier walk hand in hand with his massive drumming in Omnicidal Ends, supported by the rumbling bass by Vicente; and investing in a pure Norwegian Black Metal sonority it’s time for the band to smash our senses with Aeons Empty, offering our ears three intense and sulfurous minutes led by Dave’s hellish gnarls. After such powerful tune, infinite aggressiveness and devilish roars are the main ingredients in Plagueridder, with Javier once again pounding his drums in the name of Black Metal.

Those Spanish metallers put the pedal to the metal in Spasmic Extinction, inspired by the most recent works by Immortal and Abbath, with the riffage by Vicente and Javier exhaling rage and obscurity for our total delight, and it’s quite interesting how the band added elements from their other Death and Thrash Metal projects to their music yet still sounding purely Black Metal, which is exactly what you’ll get in Primal Expulsion. Their second to last explosion of brutality and evil is titled Riddance of the Graves, a solid, in-your-face Black Metal extravaganza showcasing spine-chilling gnarls by Dave supported by the massive wall of sounds crafted by his bandmates, and Javier’s blackened keys give the last song of the album, the demolishing Path to Devourment, an even more Stygian vibe. In other words, the band’s return to action couldn’t have ended in a more demonic manner.

In the end, although it might have taken over a decade for the ruthless Yskelgroth to return from the pitch black pits of the underworld with a new slab of evil and sulfur, the wait was absolutely worth it based on the infernal music found in Bleeding of the Hideous, and if you want to show the talented Dave, Vicente and Javier your utmost support and admiration, you can succumb to their devilish powers by following them on Facebook, and of course by purchasing a copy of their newborn spawn from the Xtreem Music’s BandCamp page. As aforementioned, Bleeding of the Hideous is twisted, demonic and very detailed, inviting us all to worship our beloved darkness while listening to the first-class Black Metal blasted by a Spanish trio that hopefully won’t take another 15 years to release more of their unrelenting music.

Best moments of the album: The Morbid Earth, Aeons Empty, Spasmic Extinction and Riddance of the Graves.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Xtreem Music

Track listing
1. The Morbid Earth 3:12
2. Prone to Gobble Life 3:46
3. Omnicidal Ends 4:17
4. Aeons Empty 2:58
5. Plagueridder 2:55
6. Spasmic Extinction 4:08
7. Primal Expulsion 3:57
8. Riddance of the Graves 3:51
9. Path to Devourment 3:30

Band members
Dave Rotten – vocals
Vicente J. – guitars, bass
Javier Fernández – drums, synths, guitars

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