Review by JD on June 14, 2010.

There are times when I am blown away by the sheer magnitude of talent that most metal bands seem to have these days...as well as having this uncanny ability to find ways to mix different styles into something that ends up being completely new and very stimulating while still managing to stay very true to what metal is. With that little statement out there.... let me put away the horns I have flashed and introduce Helfahrt.

This Munich based band is clearly Black Metal at the very core of themselves, but with much more to them. It is true that they are maliciously heavy, brutally harsh with a wall of pure grinding guitars and blasting drums that go so damned well with the caustically spat vocals... Yet there is so much more that this band really is... something that makes them stand out in the Black Metal crowds.

Helfahrt combine the cold yet powerful heaviness of Black Metal with some strange addition of almost a groove based sort of Rock and Roll while holding some hellish ambient sort of characteristics that literally breath under the sheer wretched fuelled lyrics that speak on topics like death, Satanism, Germanic folklore and the giving and receiving of intense and intentional infliction of pain.

Intelligent, sadistic and as heavy as they come, these are all an fully endearing set of qualities for a band that seems to be creating a path that is all of their own. They are in every sense of the word... originals, in a world that sometimes overlooks this trait. The dark arts have not sounded so good.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 8
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.5 out of 10