Review ASINHELL ‘Impii Hora’

Twenty years after started a success story with Volbeat, Michael Poulsen returns to his death metal roots. The singer and guitarist formed a death metal band called Dominus with which he launched four longplayers before moving on to Volbeat.

Now he returns to his roots with Asinhell. Originally the moniker should be Full Of Hell, inspired by a song from Entombed. The link to the Swedish death metal icons is L-G Petrov who lost his battle against cancer in 2021. Poulsen and Petrov were friends and sadly Poulsen missed two phone calls from the iconic frontman shortly before Petrov passed away. When then putting on the headphones for a morning run it was ‘Full of Hell’ with Petrov yelling ‘I’m full of hell’ which maybe was a sign to continue working on a death metal project which started during the work process for ‘Servant of the Mind’ in 2021. The simple reason that Full Of Hell couldn’t be the band name is because the moniker was already picked by another band and Asinhell was the appropriate alternative.

Since Poulsen wanted to focus on his role as guitarist a singer was needed and no less than an old friend, Marc Grewe joined the team. Grewe is known from his days with Morgoth and is currently also involved in other bands and project but this opportunity he didn’t want to let go.

The last vacancy needed to get closed too and it is Raunchy drummer Toft Hansen who provides the deadly heartbeat for this album.

‘Impii Hora’ (Latin for Ungodly Hour) is the title of the album that reaches the record stores these days and it starts with a blast. ‘Fall of the Loyal Warrior’ is the first track on the album and blasts out of the speakers in great fashion. Fast and savage, that is how the starter can be described. Also equipped with a solid groove the inspiration from Scandinavian death metal outfits is apparent. The sound of bands like Entombed, but also Dismember had an impact on Asinhell.

The first song that was finished for the album is ‘Pyromantic Scryer’ which a massive strike. The fusion of death- and thrash metal is working extremely well, and it is the infectious groove that also allows songs like the title track to shine.

The racing fast ‘Island of Dead Man’ is another track one should have heard. The energy of this tune is enormous, and the chorus allows a great sing-along during live shows. And not to forget the great ‘Inner Sancticide’. The song is with more than five-minute running time the longest one on the album and comes with a versatility that mainly comes though unexpected and well-placed rhythmic twists.

To sum up: ‘Impii Hora’ is a great album and has the potential to end up in the 2023-year-polls. It shows that Michael Poulsen metal heart is still beating strong and after a few more average Volbeat albums It is ‘Impii Hora’ showing a new dynamic that is rooted in oldschool death metal. This album is a matter of heart, and each note reflects this approach. One advise though: train your neck muscles because the album will challenge them.