Blackevil - Praise the Communion Fire for the Unhallowed Sacrament (2024) Hi-Res

Hailing from Bavaria, BLACKEVIL have been forging fire since 2013. Their first demo, appropriately titled Hail the Cult, emerged from the darkness in 2015, auspiciously revealing a razor-sharp and endlessly salacious style of blackthrash. Come BLACKEVIL’s debut album, 2017’s The Ceremonial Fire, the power-trio up-ratcheted everything: more speed, more hooks, more black, more evil, more of MORE! Still, their breakout moment was yet to come. Under the auspices of DYING VICTIMS, BLACKEVIL released their second album, Forever Baptised in Eternal Fire, in 2020. Here, the duo laid it all on the line, taking their noble roots – most obviously the German thrash Big Three of Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction as well as evil speed metal legends like Razor, Evil Angel, OZ, and Exciter – and assimilating them something that was uniquely their own and yet uniquely and purely HEAVY METAL.

Now, with third album Praise the Communion Fire for the Unhallowed Sacrament, BLACKEVIL take bolder steps into the epic that they only hinted at prior. If its predecessor began to transcend “blackthrash” categorization, Praise the Communion Fire wholly does so, canvassing a wider range of other stylistic sizes – late ‘90s melodic black metal, same-era blackened death, early ‘80s epic metal, and even a bit of NWOBHM that preceded that – that altogether result in something that’s more unique than ever. The album’s runtime of 46 minutes across seven tracks no doubt suggests that turn toward the epic, and the songwriting indeed goes everywhere but still with remarkable focus. Their chops, while thankfully evincing a human touch, support these daring constructs with finesse and a finely honed clarity. Leads and otherwise-more-melodic riffs lead the charge into the battlefield, buttressed by dynamics that are never boisterous for their own sake; rather, they’re reigned in, allowing those riffs and rhythms to breathe, thus making the surges of energy all the more exciting. Put another way, BLACKEVIL aren’t just another black(ened) metal band flying off the rails, imparting one extreme expression after another: there’s actual class and craft at work here, honoring the ancient lore of heavy metal whilst adding to its lexicon. In that sense, the ceremonial reverence they exude truly supports the title Praise the Communion Fire for the Unhallowed Sacrament.

Forever Baptised in Eternal Fire reaped acclaim, but still left BLACKEVIL as a well-kept secret. Again blessed with (un)godly art by the masterful Paolo Girardi, Praise the Communion Fire for the Unhallowed Sacrament should once and for all establish BLACKEVIL as top-tier heavy metal blacksmiths!