Black metal is probably the most notorious metal aesthetics known to man. Hellfire, a solo project by musician Erik Schrage, takes the genre to its extremes. It’s an epic record with over an hour of running time which never stops pummelling your ears with blast beats, harsh guitars, and a voice screaming from the very depths of hell. This is supreme, raw black metal with absolutely no elements that may be considered “commercial”. It’s brutal and challenging listen with a choking, punishing atmosphere that takes no prisoners.

There’s nothing quite as severe and all-out heavy like a piece of “true” black metal, crafted with skill and devotion. Erik is clearly an expert of the genre and an avid listener with extensive imagination and the chops necessary to sustain a grueling, challenging performance all the way until the end. Granted, he could have mixed some synthesizer textures, symphonic elements, or shoegaze into the concoction, but then again, accomplishing such a dense, full-bodied atmosphere with only traditional instruments is a feat by itself.

Dimension-X is black metal for trained ears, for the utmost nihilists, for those who like metal at its absolute extreme. This is powerful stuff and deserves its rightful place in the unfinished book of black metal history.

Horns Up: Raw, real black metal that stays true to the genre’s commandments.

Horns Down: The drums sound like a sewing machine, but we figure it’s only appropriate.