Review by Vladimir on August 1, 2024.

Remember when I said that it’s very easy to get sidetracked and miss out on a ton of great albums that spawned like mushrooms throughout this year? Well, if I didn’t come across this bad boy over here, I would literally be goddamned to hell. The international doom metal band Friends Of Hell have returned with their second full-length album God Damned You To Hell, which was released on April 12th, 2024 via Rise Above Records, this time containing new members in the lineup such as Beelzeebubth (Mystifier) on second guitar and Per "Hellbutcher" Gustavsson (Hellbutcher, ex-Nifelheim) on vocals, replacing Albert Witchfinder of former Reverend Bizarre fame. If the album title hasn’t yet convinced you that you should probably venture into his hellish odyssey, then feel free to stick around for this review and see what devilish delights it has to offer. 

Friends Of Hell rock out the devil’s sweet tunes that ooze immense catchiness and heaviness through the performance, burning like glorious fire from start to finish. All these glorious songs of Satan vary in style, going from the primarily dark and wicked approach to something more epic and powerful on 'Bringer Of Evil', while still leaving plenty of room for surprises that nicely manifest on 'Snakes Not Sons', going from emotional and melodic in the style of Paul Chain Violet Orchestra to a fast rock and roll attack on the second half. You can hear tons of influences coming from oldschool traditional doom metal names such as Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre and Pentagram, all of which mold into this big gloomy pile that Friends Of Hell nicely shaped to get their sound that dominates throughout its entirety. There is plenty of stuff to absorb and worship on this album as a whole, from the strong riffing to the occult choruses, all of which evoke a very foreboding atmosphere that practically possesses you like the voice of the devil himself. The title perfectly matches the vibe you get from the album, because every track on it truly makes you feel like God has damned you to hell, forced you to live your sinful existence while descending deeper into the abyss, only to end up being trapped in the godforsaken world of eternal damnation. Speaking of gradually descending further down, this album has a strong sense of chapter-by-chapter progression from one track to another, with its storytelling through music that eventually leads to an epic climax on the final track 'All The Colors Of The Dark', giving a grand closure to this odyssey of black and red. 

Although the songwriting remains fairly simple and straightforward for the most part, you will still come across a couple of variations in tempo changes and song ideas that separate themselves from the rest. Even though it is commonly known for doom metal to be highly monotone and tedious, this one does the exact opposite by successfully keeping things interesting as it goes, always keeping you on the edge of your seat, sweating with anticipation, and excited to hear what comes next. The biggest highlight about this album is that there isn’t a single moment of lackluster delivery that usually leads to nowhere, because every song is well structured and focused to really take you to a certain place that is not of this heavenly domain, and once it takes you there you really feel the aura of the song by immersing into its unholy nature. It's seldom seen for contemporary doom metal bands to really get that feeling and do it right, but in the case of Friends Of Hell, they truly nailed it, with each demonic serenade expressing something that is beyond human and utterly wicked. I personally think that when it comes to the overall approach, the entire God Damned You To Hell is met with a lot of simplicity, from the DIY album cover that depicts the sigil of Baphomet on a red background to the overall riff work, but I think that simplicity, in this case, is one of the album’s biggest qualities, because it doesn’t feel very dry or uninspiring, instead very effective in its overall execution. Even though I usually tend to be very unimpressed whenever I see a band incorporating these overused/recycled occult symbols with a total lack of originality, I actually don’t mind this one at all, in fact, I think it’s grown on me because I very much liked what this album had to offer. The last thing that I liked about the album is the sound production, mostly due to its solid retro style that gives a nice throwback to some classic 80’s metal albums. 

I very much enjoyed what God Damned You To Hell had to offer from the very get-go, because it’s truly an entertaining album that stays all around heavy and never does it drop its balls of steel. Friends Of Hell did a great job by crafting this simple yet effective work of classic doom metal that rocks out the devil’s intervals like it’s nobody’s goddamn business. If you like bands such as Witchfinder General and Saint Vitus, give this one a go, because you will find yourself in a world of pleasure and pain. 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10