Review Summary: A dark descent into the grave.
You are sitting at your home eating a large meal after a hard day of work. You start feeling claustrophobic and boxed in and decide to go for a walk to clear your mind. You head towards the local park so you can check out the scenery. You notice it is unseasonably cold with a thick mist everywhere that smells foul but the mist reminds you of something from long ago. You can't put your mind to it but it you know that scent. It almost reminds you of a spiritualistic ceremony but you can't be certain so you continue on. You arrive at the park and the trees almost seem alive. They're twisted and form shapes with their wretched branches. Thick mist is still present and is making it hard to breathe so you sit down for a moment on the bench to catch your breath. After you regain your bearings you decide to head back home and get some sleep. On the way back through the park you realize it is much darker out and the trees are even more twisted than before. It is getting hard to see and you start to walk a little faster. Luckily you know this path well and you should be home soon. You turn onto the street to your home and your street is not there. Instead of your home, there is a fork in the road. You can barely see where the paths lead but the you can see the left path leads down into a shallow path that is connected to a labyrinth of pillars and rooms that seem to emanate fear and hatred. The right seems to lead into a wide path that goes into a bog filled with rotted, maggot-strewn cadavers floating in a stagnant pond of a black oil. You are greatly confused as you have never seen this path before. You quickly turn when a shrill voice is heard behind you. You see nothing but the mist. The mist of course! you think. The mist must be messing with you and you took a wrong turn. You turn back to the paths and they are gone. Instead a single path is before you. A large gorge is slowly growing and devouring the dilapidated trees and building. A small bridge made of rotted moldy wood extends over the gorge into the thick mist. This sight slows you and your mind cannot adjust, your vision is getting blurry and you can't think straight. After a moment, chanting starts to be heard coming from the gorge. This eerie chanting wakes you from your stupor and you turn to run. When you turn, nothing happens. You see just the same gorge and the same bridge. You continue to keep turning back and forth and nothing changes. The gorge continues to grow and devour upwards into the night sky. You need to act so you sprint as fast as you can across the wooden platform. It seems to be holding up well but then you start to get heavier as the black seems to pull you in. A small glint of light sparkles at in the distance. You are getting closer and closer but you still continue to get heavier and heavier. You collapse on the bridge and the wood snaps as you fall into the void to have your existence erased. No one ever looks for you and no one ever remembers your existence. You never did exist.
Dejavoodoo is the name of what you just read. A fitting end to you and a fitting end to Hexenhaus. Comprising of singer Tommie Agrippa and guitarist Mike Wead (of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond fame) setting the evil and ritualistic feel of this album. The rhythm section of Marco Nicosia, Marty Marteen and John Billerhag strengthen the feel and force a feeling of hectic dread. The atmosphere is of complete dread. The riffs are evil and the bass loud. The drums march on at a breakneck pace and fit the entire album well. The tracks blend to make a comprehensive feeling to Dejavoodoo. The musicianship is phenomenal with all band members. Everyone shines on this album but the main selling points are the vocals and guitars. Agrippa's banshee shrieks and demonic whispers are great and Mike Wead as always plays a mean guitar. Their musical prowess steps up this album to the next level. Not to say that Marty's bass parts are wonderful either or that Marco's guitar doesn't melt faces.
This is an album you need to hear to understand. A hidden gem of an album from a hidden gem of a band. A must for any thrash fan and fan of metal in general. Dejavoodoo is a fitting end for the career of Hexenhaus.
Recommended Tracks:
Reborn
Phobia
From The Cradle To The Grave
