A Teutonic homerun!
Sword-worshipping Heavy Metal traditionalists Writhen Hilt from Germany are due to deliver their debut EP Ancient Sword Cult via Sweden’s Jawbreaker Records.
Blending the rocking sensibilities of the NWOBHM with Sweden’s catchy hooks and the mystical element of bands such as Warlord, Writhen Hilt shall capture you with their entrancing brand of melodic, all-consuming craftsmanship. Sharp guitars gallop atop unbreakable waves of drumming with some truly unique, spellbinding vocals. Their medieval anthems of metallic fury have that USPM sense of triumph coating every moment. The emotive dynamics take some nuanced doomy touches and give a downtrodden sense of despair to the songs. Glory reigns eternal in the more ethereal passages of the opus. This contrasting and skilfully executed mixture will certainly enthral you.
Packed with grandeur, there is that primal fist-pounding drive, acting as a sonic backbone throughout this record; the wailing chants of a battle cry reverberate in the Heavy Metal splendour. The screaming lead guitars have a captivating quality, which adds some gorgeous soulfulness to the clashing of iron. Thundering bass glows like a fire in a hearth while the steel of mighty riffing and pounding drums keep the songs charging forward. Everything on this record simply screams “epic” from start to finish and it is an adventure you truly must embark upon for yourself.
Release date: 23 February 2024.
Writhen Hilt is:
- David Kuri – Vocals, Guitar
- Jendrik Seiler – Guitar
- Steffen Kurth – Bass Guitar
- Lauritz Jilge – Drums, Vocals
REVIEW
Whenever a new band lands into my inbox, I always get excited. You never know where the next standard-bearer for metal might crop up (statistically, probably Finland), but it could be anywhere. Which brings us to today’s offering, the debut EP from German epic metallers WRITHEN HILT.
Kicking things off for us is “Death Undone”, which starts with some melodic and melancholic leadwork before the main riff sinks its claws in. It’s a simple one, but it’s solid. The vox are perfect to my ears, everything great about that early 1980s proto-power metal bundled together into a tight little package. The delivery of that chorus is sublime, a real earworm for sure!
Next came “Mountain”, a grooving bassline ushered it in like a locomotive coming into the station. The main riff was a blitzkrieg of power, reminded me a bit of SANCTUARY (The Warrel Dane band), but the vocals in this one are almost progressive in nature, and that brought about thoughts of MANILLA ROAD and even HEAVY LOAD. This was a proper banger and worthy of the band’s “epic heavy metal” status.
Then came “Sorcerer’s Gate”, and a nice guitar squeal fired off. This track is nearly speed metal in its tempo and delivery, a bit of BROCAS HELM came to mind for me. It’s a balls to the wall barrage of metal, and unlike any other track on the record thus far, which is great as always. Banger. We’re batting 3/3 right now (that’s good).
Finally we come to the last two tracks, which I’ll be grouping together. First is “To Rival the Sun”, a drumroll reminiscent of “Where Eagles Dare” was the reveille that began this one. Really gnarly bridge at around the 3 minute mark, great stuff, and that flowed nicely into a slower and more melodic section. A fade out brings us to “Aeolia (Unbreakable Bronze)”, a minute long instrumental closer. Really great leadwork to start it off, like a reverse “The Hellion”. What I like most about it is how it feels like a proper finale sort of track, and thus the record comes to a close.
CONCLUSION
This was great all around, no two songs sounded the same (there were only 4 proper tracks, but still). I’m very much looking forward to seeing Writhen Hilt’s journey across metaldom in the years to come.
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TheNWOTHM Score: 9/10
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