I love Seaweed Braids by Hellfox. In fact I really fucking love it. This brand new single from the Italian Melodic Death Metal band is – truth be told – my first introduction to Hellfox, having somehow managed to miss put on their debut The Call, and it’s safe to say I am a full on convert to the Hellfox cause on the strength of this alone.
From it’s subtle acoustic, tribal feel introduction that runs a good one minute and ten seconds of Seaweed Braids four and a half minute runtime, but never once outstays it’s welcome, to the moment it kicks in with a wall of sound that will pin you to your chair if – like me – you have your headphones in and the volume cranked up to eleven, Seaweed Braids is as vicious and haunting as a ethereal angel with a fucking chainsaw.
This is down to two reasons. First off, the musicianship on offer is that of a band that know how to write a damn fine song. They know when they need to kick your teeth down your throat and they know when they need to pick you up, brush you down, whisper ‘We’re sorry, we didn’t mean it’, before punching you in the nose and proceeding to stomp on your face for a while.
Priscilla Foresti, Gloria Capelli , and Federica Piscopo lay down a landscape that is both beautiful and terrifying in equal measures. Kind of like discovering Narnia is located in Milton Keynes…
The second reason is that the dual vocals of the aforementioned Priscilla Foresti – doubling down with bass duties – and Greta Antico are such polar opposites that it is quite breathtaking.
Priscilla is a fucking demon possessed, with a gutteral growl and scream that will undoubtedly be the sound we all hear if Judgement Day ever proves to be anything other than a fairytale, while Greta stands like a white light of hope in among gathering darkness of Seaweed Braids, with a voice that could convince The Devil to change his ways.
Since we started to do ratings here at the Black Metal Archives, I’ve tinkered with it to the point where I feel comfortable that we’re only reserving the highest mark for those that go into our Hall of Fame. For that to happen you have to take my breath away.
You have to offer me something that all of my favorite bands and artists over the years have done, and that is to be unique and stop me dead in my tracks. It’s a rare occurrence, and one that rarely happens with anything outside of an album and never with a single. Until today.
Seaweed Braids by Hellfox is a fucking masterpiece, and even though I tried to find a reason to not give this the maximum score, I couldn’t. It’s fucking perfect.
Watch the video here and get on the Hellfox bandwagon before it gets too packed for you to find a seat.
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0 – 1: Fucking shit
- 1 – 2: Shit
- 2 – 3: Not Bad Shit
- 3 – 4: Pretty Good Shit
- 4 – 5: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
PRESS SOURCE: ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist. Facebook @AsherMediaRelations. Instagram @AsherMedia. Tweet @AsherMedia
