Rating: 9.2

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Self-Released

Track list:
1. Opiatic Luminance
2. Final Approach
3. Mythologicalies (Enlightened Paganus)
4. Epitome Of Disgrace

Band Website: Hellwitch

Hellwitch - The Epitome of Disgrace 2005 Promo

Pat Ranieri- All guitars and vocals
J. Pierce- Rhythm guitars
Craig Shattuck- Bass
Joe “Witch” Schnessel- Drums

In a year marked by pleasant surprises, it should surprise no-one (if you've read my gushing interview with Mr Ranieri on this site, at the very least) that the exhumation of this ep (finally!) had me waltzing around my room in iniquitous glee. While the resurrection of one of death metal's most consistently awesome forces is certainly welcome news, it pleases me greatly to report that this EP exhibits, quite remarkably, absolutely no signs of aging or musical decrepitude on the part of Mr Patrick Ranieri. Surely, this could have been conceived, recorded and unleashed shortly after the Anthropophagi demo of 1994, and, when one frames 'The Epitome Of Disgrace' within the canon of 'Szygial Miscreancy', 'Terrasymmetry', 'Transgressive Sentience' and other such monolithic monuments, it is evident that Hellwitch have suffered none of the degradation and decline associated with their Floridian contemporaries.

Yes, this is off-balance, off-kilter, off-the-fucking-wall thrashing death metal delivered in a fashion that is distinctively Hellwitch. Pat's shrill, desperate shrieks usher in shards of discordant, insistent riffing that contorts into all manner of impossible shapes over tumbling, torrential double bass on “Opiatic Luminance”, an excursion into the outer limits of Hellwitch's mad scientist riffcraft. In accordance with Hellwitch tradition, the structure on the track is perplexingly challenging, a labyrinthine journey through death metal dementia that somehow manages to retain, beneath its dizzyingly agile and schizophrenic exterior, a linear continuity, stringing together enough recurring ideas within a complex framework to make the song INSTANTLY memorable. I won't even begin to get into just HOW many carnivorous riffs one can find in this nugget of brilliance- most bands could not HOPE to muster this many on a full-length! The hook riff, especially, is worth mention, a mid-paced, disorientingly dissonant skullfuck that brings to mind 'Abominations of Desolation' -era Morbid Angel. Other passages in this opus can be likened to the likes of Insanity, Voivod, Slayer (first orgasmic solo), though such parallels are merely fleeting, and used purely as a guide for you Hellwitch n00bs to go by. Business as usual, then, though the very first signs of Hellwitch's evolution are found 03:36 into the track, perhaps Pat's most melodically literate solo committed to tape thus far!

“Final Approach”, of course, is a re-recording of a track that first made its rounds on Hellwitch's 1998 rehearsal, and things are notably thicker and tighter on this go-around. I cannot say enough good things about the vocal delivery here, Pat's impassioned, intense shrieks perfectly complementing the uncompromisingly manic/frenetic nature of the track. It is here that one invariably notices how OUTSTANDING the mix is for a self-released product, and just how cohesive Hellwitch 2006 is as a unit. The rich, natural mix really allows the brilliant work of Craig Shattuck to come through, who alternates between tasteful, supple, supportive playing to some mindbending chord playing and counterpoints.

Onwards to the highlight of the promo, then, the mind-melting spazz-thrash of “Mythologicalies”. Words could not possibly do this song justice, and while I do think it wasn't the best idea for Pat to place this most elephantine of tracks on the Hellwitch myspace page, I do urge you to go there at your earliest convenience and bear witness to JUST how much growth Hellwitch have undergone since their last recorded output. Rampaging out the gates with sprinting, tripping-over-itself thrash riffing, the track proceeds to morph into an intricate, quasi-melodic passage that wouldn't be out of place on, say, Atheist 's 'Unquestionable Presence'. After reaching such stratospheric, ethereal heights, the fellows return back to breakneck riffing, Ranieri accenting the proceedings with the requisite howling lead.

Then, WHIPLASH HAPPENS! It might be a little early to call it, but the sinewy riff that absolutely MUSCLES its way out of your speakers 02:33 through the track HAS to be one of the best death metal breaks EVER, right up there with THAT riff on “Mordirivial Disseminancy”, arguably Hellwitch's definitive moment. More melody bubbles to the surface following the break, the ponderous chords and intoxicating double-tracked leads again conjuring 'Unquestionable Presence' -esque thoughts in this reviewer's thoroughly overwhelmed brain. It is FASCINATING to me that this is at once Hellwitch's most challenging, yet most accessible work, a peculiar, seemingly paradoxical duality that has been achieved by Ranieri's assured, assertive mastery as a songwriter. I only wish I could pen tracks as angular and tangential as this, that I would be able to house so many BRILLIANT, seemingly fragmented ideas into something that flows so seamlessly. What a song!

Unwilling to relinquish their stranglehold on the listener, Hellwitch proceed to present the greatest departure from vintage Hellwitch offered on this EP. Surely, the title track on this disc is the most melodic and the most “Swedish” sounding track Mr Ranieri has penned to date. My interview with him reflected his affinity for the likes of Dimension Zero and Carnal Forge, though I never expected these inclinations to manifest themselves in his musical craft. Do NOT approach this with apprehension though, this track is still 200% HELLWITCH in its forward-looking, cerebral approach, but the tremolo picked passages juxtaposed with complicated arpeggios do bring to mind vintage At The Gates, as well as, lo and behold, Demilich, another band that has been documented as a favorite in the Ranieri household. Yet, this is far from emulation- just as Patrick harnessed and channeled his love for Sacrifice and Death to sculpt some of the most inventive and progressive-thinking music in death metal history, he has funneled Scandinavian ideas into the Hellwitch context without compromising the band's assertive and unmistakable sonic identity.

I can't even count how many times I've spun this since it arrived on my doorstep. You need to go to www.myspace.com/hellwitch NOW to get a copy. For $5, you will not find a more worthwhile investment in 2006. I can only IMAGINE what the forthcoming Hellwitch recording will sound like (slated for a mid-2006 release on Xtreem Records)! Somehow, Pat has managed to refine and streamline certain aspects of the Hellwitch sound without dampening any of the band's vitriol and madcap aggression…this achievement has left this reviewer flabbergasted. I will always worship this band, and hopefully this year brings them legions of new believers.

May 7th, 2006