REVIEW – TRIUMPH OF DEATH ‘RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH’

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Oran

For the first time, Triumph of Death finally commit to releasing their 2023 prodigious live performances, resulting in a stunning collection of Hellhammer classics. 

In keeping with the recent impeccable legacy of the Noise re-issues and deluxe box sets collection, it was really only a matter of time before a decision was made to liberate the audio from the Triumph of Death shows that took place earlier this year.

The critically acclaimed ‘Danse Macabre’ (2022), and 2020’s ‘Apocalyptic Raids’ resulted in squeals of delight from Extreme Metal fans around the globe, and I have no doubt that ‘Resurrection of the Flesh’ will command the same response.

With Swiss extreme metal titan, Thomas Gabrial Warrior (Hellhammer/Celtic Frost/Triptykon) at the helm, alongside musicians, Tom André Mathieu (guitar/vocals), Jamie Lee Cussigh (bass), and Tim Iso Wey (drums), these legendary recordings are a culmination of three performances that took place at ‘Hell’s Heroes Festival’ in Houston USA, ‘Dark Easter Metal Meeting’ in Munich, Germany, and ‘SWR Barroselas Metal Fest’ in Portugal, and features compositions going back as far as four decades, such as opener, ‘The Third Of the Storms’, as well as ‘Maniac’, ‘Reaper’, ‘Revelations of Doom’, ‘Satanic Rites’, with a peppering of classics from ‘Triumph Of Death’ and ‘Satanic Rites’ – also originally released in 1983.

With regards to sound, ‘Resurrection Of The Flesh’ creeps from the speakers like a haunting dark shadow, laden with snarling brilliance, and razor sharp production. The immense weight and ominous presence of tracks such as, ‘Maniac’ and ‘Blood Insanity’ (to name but a few) had me grinning from ear to ear as each track captured the true essence of, (what I can only imagine), were spectacular live shows.

With Tom G Warrior’s vocals sounding like the aural equivalent of gravel marinating in bubbling black tar, the atmosphere on ‘Resurrection…’ is palpable throughout. Where the original recordings are raw and intense (which is part of the aesthetic), this live collection of songs has a warmth and low-end that just hits the spot. The fact that the tuning has been adjusted to a lower register to the original songs, just adds to the overall experience.

Triumph of Death – Photo by Roli

There is no denying that the music of Hellhammer, and the creative brain of Thomas Gabriel Fischer, are recognised as indefinite catalysts of the Black Metal genre, as a whole, making this album stand for much more than “just another live album”. In fact ‘Resurrection Of The Flesh’ is a long-awaited landmark moment in the bands abrupt history, and you simply MUST own a copy.

Pre-order your copy here. Release date, November 10th via NOISE / BMG.

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Oran O’Beirne

www.overdrive.ie 2023