Bestial, Bludgeoning, Blasting Blasphemy: Hegemony's "Enthroned by Persecution"

I find myself growing pickier and pickier when it comes to Death Metal as I get older. The genre has, undoubtedly, produced more than its share of classic releases: Altars of Madness, Onward to Golgotha, Close to a World Below and None So Vile are where my preferences lie. I will never be able to get into the over-produced, sterile exercises in musical masturbation that make up a lot of the modern Death Metal scene, however.

Luckily, I don’t have to clear that hurdle with Hegemony’s Enthroned by Persecution. Available April 24th on Hell’s Headbangers, it’s a raw, bludgeoning, filthy mess of an album that manages to be a breath of fresh air while simultaneously calling back to genre greats in a manner that isn’t just flat-out aping the source material.

Starting off with “Exalted March to Decimation,” the album resoundingly stakes its claim in the soil of North American Death Metal with a comfortably raw production, simple, catchy riffs and a surplus of blast beats. It becomes readily apparent, however, that Hegemony aren’t content in resting on their laurels and spinning their wheels in typical, Death Metal territory.

Left to right: Fanatical Deathtitan, Barbaric Progenitor, Ruination Wielder and Primordial Dominator

You may think I’m a bit off my rocker (I would wholeheartedly agree), but this album definitely has some major Black Metal vibes. The production is right where it needs to be, there isn’t an obsession with having every drum hit sound totally equalized and, well, just look at the picture above. If coming not so much from the musicianship itself, the DIY ethos and aesthetics of Black Metal are on great display, here. The feeling this album gives off is one of Arkhon Infaustus growing up in the sludge of Alabama instead of Paris, France.

I’ve listened to this album at least ten times since getting my hands on it yesterday. I really don’t like to bloviate about the music I enjoy too much, as I do have strong opinions, but I’m not a musician. “I may not know art, but I know what I like.” I will say with all the confidence I can muster, however, that this album is going to explode when it releases on April 24th. Hegemony has officially put the underground, Metal scene on notice. Buy this album and listen to it before everyone else is talking about it.

8/10

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In the interests of journalistic integrity and transparency, this album was provided gratis by Hell’s Headbangers Records.