Candlelight
2005
Hellfire
About This Album
Let's compare Hellfire, 1349's third full-length album, to a professional dominatrix or a horror movie. Just as there are different approaches in metal, there are different approaches in S&M and horror. There is the dominatrix who favors nuance and offers some hugs and caresses along with her whips, chains, and riding crops; there is, on the other hand, the domme who goes right for the cat-o-nine-tails and immediately inflicts as much pain as possible. There are nuanced vampire movies of the '30s and '40s that leave much to the imagination; there are the Jason and Chuckie bloodfests that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. And when it comes to death metal/black metal (more black metal than death metal on Hellfire), 1349 is clearly the headbanger equivalent of Chuckie rather than Barnabus Collins (the nuanced vampire on Dark Shadows) and the cruel, consistently harsh dominatrix rather than the kinder, gentler dominatrix. Oh, the kinder, gentler dominatrix still knows how to crack her whips when she feels it's appropriate -- and the Scandinavian bands that are considered symphonic black metal or melodic death metal will never be mistaken for Enya. But they value nuance and melody as well as forcefulness.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5 and 6)

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