We plow through the Black Forest of Germany with astonishing fury and once again raise the flag of German black metal. 2017 was without question a year that helped solidify some of Germany’s exports (such as Totengefluster) as among the black metal elite. So now we offer you a find we made this week; Halphas.

Halphas was formed in 2014 by Tempestas (Drums, NOCTURNAL / CROSS VAULT), Thurstan (Guit.), Forcas (Bass) and Legatus (Vocals). Dawn Of A Crimson Empire is the first full-length release and the follow-up from 2015’s demo.

From Bandcamp: “HALPHAS was founded in 2014 by Tempestas (Drums, NOCTURNAL / CROSS VAULT), Thurstan (Guit.), Forcas (Bass) and Legatus (Vocals). From the beginning, the band focused on creating uncompromising, original Black Metal featuring epic melodies, catchy mid-tempo passages, and brutal yet multi-faceted vocals. The songs are about death, hate, pain and dark desires. The eternal struggle and the inner pursuit of strength is a central lyrical theme.”

Dawn Of A Crimson Empire contains 7 fairly lengthy tracks between 4:53 and 9:26 in length with the addition of the intro, “Summoning” which sounds exactly like what the title implies. The songs are fast and furious – catchy and in many cases, fairly melodic for a black metal band with an aura of fury that rivals a lightning/snow storm. Tracks like “Through The Forest” show killer breakdowns as well as their ability to create an atmosphere based on the layering of the instruments. Vocally, Legatus cuts through timber as the band reduces the Black Forest trees to planks of wood. “Empire” is a bloody mammoth of a track at 9:26 that pretty much sums up everything that Halphas can do…. a fantastic closer indeed; epic and dynamic.

This album from start to finish helps prove once and for all how bloody criminally underrated the German black metal scene is. EXTREMELY highly recommended. We’re very excited to see what the band does next.

Tracklist:

Summoning Call From The Depths Through The Forest Sword Of The Necromancer FMD Malice Damnation Of The Weak Empire

Dawn Of A Crimson Empire is available on CD through Folter Records and as a digital download. Also, shirts are available through their Bigcartel online store.

https://halphas.bandcamp.com/

halphas.bigcartel.com

http://www.folter666shop.de/de/

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