W.E.B. – Into Hell Fire We Burn
Reviewed By: Jason Deaville
Review Score: 8.5
When you think of black metal and Greece, which is the one band that immediately comes to mind? Yep. You’d be correct. The Rotting ones sit atop the throne of Hellenic musical extremity. Of course, there are a few other notable mentions: SepticFlesh, Thou Art Lord, Varathron, Nightfall, Naer Mataron, amongst a host of other killer bands that prefer to revel in the underground. But, when it comes to big, meaty black metal, the kind full of pomp and circumstance, there is another fantastic entry from Greece that sits comfortably alongside the aforementioned bands: W.E.B.
A cursory listen to their brand new EP, Into Hell Fire We Burn, immediately brings to mind mid-era Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth. Where it differs is in its rampant use of experimentation. No two songs sound the same. In fact, the band take things right out of the sub-genre of extreme metal with a couple of songs that are straight-up industrial dance and full-on orchestral. These sonic journeys into the realms of bleeps and bloops and the symphonious are not unlike Covenant (the band featuring former Dimmu Borgir bassist, Nagash) and their ’98 album, Nexus Polaris. This album, at the time, challenged all black metal stereotypes. It was big, brash, and ludicrously fun (yes, even black metal can be fun).
W.E.B. are the Covenant of this millennium, and that’s a good thing. We are sorely lacking in the realm of black metal when it comes to being frolicsome. There are a few exceptions, most notably Carach Angren, who deliver a circus-like take on Nordic extremity. W.E.B. combine all the best elements of symphonic black metal and build upon that foundation with some solid musicianship and songwriting. In fact, Into Hell Fire We Burn, was an idea the band has had for a very long-time, only having one other EP in their catalogue, My Storm Upon You, that dates way back to 2012.
Starting the EP off is the title track, Into Hell Fire We Burn, a brand new song that immediately grabs the listener by the throat with it’s incredibly catchy chorus (good luck getting this one outta your head anytime soon). The first single from the album, ‘Necrology Of Hel’, is a re-recording of the song ‘Necrology’ (from their 2021 album, Colosseum) and sung by Hel Pyre (W.E.B. bassist, who also moonlights as bassist for Nervosa).
This is followed-up with a re-recording of two older songs (‘For Bidens’ and ‘My Storm Upon You’) which the band, very effectively, combined into a medley with the song ‘Forbidden Storm’. This track expertly recalls the most epic moments of Dimmu Borgir‘s 2010 album, Abrahadabra. Things then get very dance-y with the track ‘Lunar Nightmares’ which is an industrial remix of ‘Nightmares In Disguise’ and ‘Regina Est’ (both originally found on W.E.B.’s 2014 album, For Bidens). I gotta say, this song needs to be immediately spun by every credible DJ at every reputable goth/industrial club in Europe. It is that good.
The album closes out with two epic tracks, the orchestral version of the ‘Clamor Luna’ trilogy (the trilogy first appearing on the band’s 2014 album, For Bidens) which is now-titled here as ‘Clamor Luna Orchestram’, and an incredible cover of the infernal hell fire and victorious screams of Rotting Christ‘s ‘Non Serviam’ (from the ’94 album of the same name).
There’s a lot to process when listening to Into Hell Fire We Burn, but this is exactly its strength. No two listens are the same, as you’ll always hear something new or bits and pieces that you hadn’t picked up on in previous listens. This keeps the EP fresh and exciting with each and every listen. A fantastic release that breathes new life into the realm of symphonic black metal. Highly recommended and very much looking forward to their next full-length!
Into Hell Fire We Burn drops on October 27th via Metal Blade Records.