VHÖL Are Thrashtastic On “The Desolate Damned”

Remember VHÖL, the progressive black metal supergroup featuring Mike Scheidt of Yob, John Cobbett and Sigrid Sheie of Hammers of Misfortune, and Aesop Dekker of Agalloch? Their self-titled release made a big splash two years ago — as it should have, it’s a great record — but soon after they sort of moved to the background. I haven’t heard a ton of people asking where the new VHÖL record is, which is weird given the hype they experienced initially.

But a new VHÖL record there is! It’s called Deeper Than Sky, and the first single from it, “The Desolate Damned”, has just been released via NPR. You can listen to it below.

What’s most interesting about “The Desolate Damned” is that it’s a straight-up thrash track, unlike the Darkthrone-influenced material of the self-titled album. The song is kind of bouncy and jaunty, and definitely channels a lot more of Hammers of Misfortune outright, both in its general tone and the way the instruments are mixed (love that bass). It’s a cool move on the band’s part overall — moving away from the comfort zone of the last record and doing something fun. Isn’t that what supergroups are for?

Deeper Than Sky burrows into your brain on October 23rd via Profound Lore.