Hanging the Nihilist are a blackened deathcore band from Denmark and this is their debut album.
Prophetic Blasphemy contains 42 minutes of brutal modern blackened deathcore. Riven with huge breakdowns and enhanced with blackened malevolence, Prophetic Blasphemy is on the darker, heavier side of the deathcore spectrum, and I like what I hear.
The songs are crushing examples of the style, with murderous intensity and thunderous breakdowns combined with orchestral keyboard atmospherics. These latter aspects are incorporated well into the music, giving the band’s brutality an evil Gothic feel to it.
The songs are well written, and the band incorporate their influences into their own vision for extremity well. The mix of groove, breakdowns, speed, and atmosphere is well-judged, allowing the band to hold the listener’s attention throughout. I find this album a very easy one to stick on and instantly enjoy.
To get a feel for Hanging the Nihilist’s material, first imagine a band like Carnifex, only with a more embedded old-school Cradle of Filth influence. Then throw some old-school Job for a Cowboy, Whitechapel, and Suicide Silence into the mix. After this add a touch of sheer brutality from Beneath the Massacre and Despised Icon. Finally, a pinch of Distant‘s downtempo heaviness, for flavour. The result is quite tasty indeed, I have to say.
Overall Prophetic Blasphemy is a solid and enjoyable example of symphonic blackened deathcore. Hanging the Nihilist know how to play this sort of thing, and their debut album has plenty of memorable brutality and vicious hooks to satisfy.
Highly recommended for any fan of the style.
Wonderbox Metal 