First I want to express my disappointment, not because of the quality of the material I’ve been listening to for the last few days, but more to the fact that I was not exposed to it some time around its release. In other words; I’m talking of the seventh full-length album by Ukrainian death metal band, Hell:on.

Their latest album, entitled Shaman, got released in May 2024 via Archivist Records. Shaman had to be released almost three years ago, but due to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the crew had to put their lives on hold. Living and creating music under these circumstances must be hard and challenging, but it can also lead one to create some of the best work of your entire career. I think that’s exactly the case here, as I feel that the spirit of this struggle was reflected in this eight-tracker opus. The extended use of multiple echoes of shamanic & tribal vocals help to create the mystical and occult atmosphere on Shaman.

“What Steppes Dream About” is the massive opener here, which grabbed my attention early on. It starts with this massive sound assault of excellently mastered dual guitars, with tight and flourishing drums, the low-end yet somehow prominent bass, and finally some throat-singing & shamanic tribal death metal vocals. I also like these mystic and dark Middle-Eastern influences. Moving on into the following track “When the Wild Wind and the Soul of Fire Meet” (watch the video below) and we get much of the same (meant in positive way); which implies wonderful songwriting and textures of the song, once again an amazing guitar work and a bit lower vocals in the mix. Third song, named “Tearing Winds of Inner Self” spice things up with more brutality and tight- and effective death metal sonic mayhem. “Preparation For The Ritual” puts the tribal aspect of the music to the front again, featuring some strong vocals, choirs over blast beats, meaty riffs and the whole masmerizing tribal melody that adds a mystical atmosphere to the music. Second single from this album is “He With The Horse’s Head”, where the music is focusing more on brutal death metal, accompanied by some Asian/Middle-Eastern melodies in a background. “I Am The Path” is another incredibly catchy song, with a great amount of great riffs and stunning drumming, top-notch songwriting and skillful use of all instruments. This uncompromising and strange mix of Eastern folk music with modern style death metal continues on the track called “A New Dawn”. It’s a very tight track, pretty reminiscent of the likes of Gojira, but also the elements from Behemoth, Carach Angren, Lamentari, Blighted Eye etc.

The album ends with self-titled, seven minutes long intricate epic closure “Shaman”. It’s the less brutal songs, compared to some other tracks presented above, but it’s definitely a nice way to end this album. It features some nice guitar work, throat singing vocals and an overall occult, mystical and captivating atmosphere.

The production itself maintains raw and grounded, while at the same time allowing more complex layering of sound to shine. At eight songs and 41 minutes, Shaman consists of one highlight after another. Best advertisement and attention-grabbing campaign I can make for Shaman is to say that this is a record that I can listen to over and over… never getting bored. I’m glad that Hell:On is still able to evolve and create new music, even when surrounding reality is tough, dark and depressive, and with an uncertain future.

For more information on this seventh full-length album by Ukrainian death metal horde Hell:on visit https://hellonband.bandcamp.com/album/shaman