Hollenthon is an Austrian Symphonic Black Death Metal band, pure and simple. No happy songs here, no cute pop selections, no American Disney boy band whining. The band began as an evolution from a previous project under the direction of lead singer Martin Schirenc. Their first release, the interestingly named With Vilest of Worms to Dwell, introduced the sound to a largely European audience. The release here is a 2008 release, which carries on the symphonic death metal sound from the previous title. Vilest of Worms was a significant release in central Europe and gained a large and loyal following. The band has been largely a live performance act in between releases, and, if you view some of the YouTube videos, it’s not hard to understand why. The Son of Perdition video on that site, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNi1oLlG2Hw is an excellent introduction to the Hollenthon mystique and captures what the band is about as well as anything could.

Hollenthon is hard metal, in a symphonic sort of way. It is structured on lead singer Martin Schirenc, who is a master of many talents. He provides the signature death vocals, does guitar work, some base and keyboards. Additional musicians include Mike Groger, Drums and Percussion, Gregor Marboe, Base and supporting vocals, Martin Arzberger, drums and, finally, that female vocalist, the lovely Mrs. Schirenc, Martin’s wife Elena. I don’t have names for the animals who appear intermittently throughout the videos but they seem to be close associates, especially the snake who appears with Elena in Son of Perdition. Yea, the stuff gets interesting, in a kinky kind of way.

Opus begins with On the Wings of a Dove. The introduction is classical, an orchestrated segment that leads to the metal. A chorus, a Hollenthon staple, takes us to the vocals over a crushing drum line. A string segment introduces us to the Schirenc death vocals which serve as the defining sound for the title. Lyrics quickly acquaint us with the core of the Hollenthon message:

The song covers pretty much the entire arsenal of the Hollenthon sound. Strong orchestration, solid choral work, devastating metal and the harsh vocals of Martin Schirenc.

Son of Perdition takes us to another interpretation of the Hollenthon requiem. The video begins with three dancers moving to a heavily orchestrated metal tone. The recorded version of the song suggests this as a fine interpretation of the band’s intent. Movement to the metal is fast and direct. Schirenc takes the vocal lead and carries the message forward over a varied background arrangement. There is almost always a choral arrangement within Hollenthon titles, along with an orchestrated segment at appropriate times. As the song progresses, we are somewhat sidetracked as wife Elena appears to provide a dark interlude. Her vocals are substantial and more than a little entertaining. The fact that she sings them face-to-face with a giant white snake in the videos make them even more fascinating. The tongue sequences, from both the snake and Elena, are of special interest; it’s a form of duet you just don’t see every day.

Ars Moriendi follows Son and moves the tempo forward. Heavier orchestration, more extreme female vocals and a harder metal sound take Hollenthon to a more extreme level. The Schirenc vocals take a harder tack, the metal cranks a little louder and the entire song is harder edged. And, with Hollenthon, harder edged is a significant statement. Guitars are crushing and take a lead midway through the title. These are strong guitars, not often featured but outstanding when they are. A soaring soprano resides above the guitars in an ethereal moment. The selection concludes with the choral work that brings the song back to earth.

Once We Were Kings is a more complete rendition of the total Hollenthon sound. There is the hard metal, the extreme vocals provided by Schirenc. However, this title again takes us further into the female vocals and the lovely choral work. Elena has a strong voice and is used in the choral work to provide an operatic sound. However, her feature vocals are more traditional. Those choral sounds, however, are typically operatic. Juxtaposed against the Schirenc growling, they provide a truly interesting mesh of sounds, especially when the symphonic components are brought in. Elena sings:

Hollenthon is clearly not for everyone on this site, the music is hard, the vocals are predominantly male death vocals, the message is clearly aimed at the dark side. However, there are beautiful female vocals, very strong choral components and a strong symphonic background upon which the music flows. The arrangements are classically conceived and performed and the production is as good as you can get.

For those looking for a Nightwish sound, this is not it. However, for many of us, a little variance in our music is a positive and Hollenthon provides a multiplicity of sounds; well conceived, well produced, well presented and crying out for many listens. The dark side, indeed.