“Panopticon” is the sophomore album from HELLBORE, the death metal outfit striding both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The new record marks an evolution in their sound expanding their scope from thrash infused death, now embracing a variety of modern death metal subgenres including technical death metal, progressive death metal, and deathcore.
“This album is a big step for us, and we are really excited for people to hear what we have put together. This has been a difficult couple of years for many people. “Panopticon” takes aim at many of these struggles, and we hope it can provide a degree of catharsis. We hope you enjoy your time listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it.”
Following their debut album “Holy Sadist” released in 2019, Panopticon features creative sonic storytelling, technical guitar madness, a barrage of extreme vocal styles, and immaculate production. From the dramatic, orchestral fuelled opening track “Libertus” to the epic “Panopticon” in three chapters, the new album is a dark, immersive experience. Guttural screams and demonic vocals enshroud the atmosphere with a haunting twist, while hard hitting instrumentation and marching rhythms manifest a powerful heaviness. Introducing technical guitars in “All Men Are Created Evil” and an unexpected jazz section in “Terror Eyes,” HELLBORE have have grappled with charismatic musical styles and developed them seamlessly into their sound.
Panopticon delivers a thrilling exploration of themes such as extremism, media control, religious fundamentalism, and social engineering. Facing the difficult experiences of endurance head on, the album brings an emotional liberation with an immense sound.
HELLBORE are
Charlie Munro, based in the UK, all guitars, bass, mixing and production
Chris Whitby, based in New York, vocals
Links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HellboreMetal
Bandcamp https://hellboremetal.bandcamp.com/album/holy-sadist
Read our review here.
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!