Review Summary: The Finnish death metal masters, Hooded Menace, have done it again...
Hooded Menace, always a reliable band. Take this year for example, there haven't been a ton of great releases in the death metal genre. There's some standouts such as Horrendous and Cruciamentum, plus a few others, but Hooded Menace takes the cake in terms of death metal, and metal in general, thus far in 2015.
The most important aspect of Hooded Menace has been the atmosphere and that is the case for their newest album
Darkness Drips Forth. With this being released during the Halloween season, it's very appropriate. This music just gives you the feeling that this is what serial killers listen to before they go on a spree. The riffs here are amazing throughout the entire duration of the album. As always there's a very heavy doom influence here, particularly funeral doom. While the riffs aren't fast or all that complicated, they make up for it in the melodic and mesmerizing and straight up filthy categories for sure. Honestly feels like Satan is about to come through your speakers. There's a few horror samples throughout the album too that just feeds more into the atmosphere of the album and this band in general. Vocals here are perfect as well. The echo effect on them really is a plus too. It's only a slight echo, but it makes the fierce growls sound like they're coming from a real demon in the night.
You could bring up how they kind of sound like a modern day Autopsy or Incantation, but those comparisons should be over with by now. Hooded Menace are paving their own road in the world of death metal nowadays. Along with Obliteration, Ulcerate, and Funebrarum, these guys are right at the top with them when it comes to modern death metal greatness. This album, along with the rest of their discography, is fantastic and they haven't slipped up yet. If you like horror movies, a little funeral doom mixed with death metal action, and all things evil and morbid, you'll love
Darkness Drips Forth. Top of the top in terms of 2015 death metal and really metal in general over the past few years.
