Album Review: Asinhell - Impii Hora
Reviewed by Tim Finch
Michael Poulsen is well know as the face of Volbeat, Danish rock’s finest export. A band growing with such success they filled arena’s in the UK to close out 2022. So when he announced he was teaming with Marx Grewe (Insidious Disease, Ex-Morgoth) and Morten Toft Hansen (Raunchy) to release a death metal album some eyebrows were raised. How would Poulsen fair in a genre he was not know for?
This September the trio bring us their debut album under the Asinhell banner, ‘Impii Hora’ lands via Metal Balde Records.
Opening with ‘Fall of the Loyal Warrior’ any question marks over this project will soon be set aside. With a sound drawing from both the old school Floridian scene and the Scandinavian death metal scene they manage to offer a unique perspective on the genre, although the guitar solo towards the end of this opening ditty does hint back at more Volbeat style vibes.
As the album progresses it finds its feet more, ‘Inner Sancticide’ is epic in nature with five minutes of expansive death metal riffs tearing at the listeners ears. ‘Trophies’ takes on an old school Sepultura vibe, that warms the heart of any fan of extreme music, whilst ‘Wolfpack Laws’ gives a blackened tinge to the sound they have developed.
If there was any doubt that this album would not deliver then such thoughts are washed away with ease. Poulsen and his bandmates have taken a genre and been true to it, keeping the keystones which makes the genre beloved which adding their unique mark to it. This is a must have for any death metal fan, no matter what era you prefer!
