Fiends Of Hell

Heavy metal has a long history and profound connection with devilry, deviance and the dark side. The ignominious return of Friends Of Hell can only strengthen that bond. Steeped in purest old school metal and the dirtiest doom, new album God Damned You To Hell is a rusty spike in the eye of unbelievers. Are you ready to feel the flames?

Formed by underground stalwart Tas Danazoglou (Satan’s Wrath/ex-Electric Wizard) in 2021, Friends Of Hell emerged as avowed defenders of dirty, evil metal. Initially fronted by doom maverick Albert Witchfinder (Opium Warlords/ex-Reverend Bizarre), they appeared from nowhere, scabby-knuckled and militant, and armed with a self-titled debut album that reeked of gruesome authenticity. Released in March 2022, Friends Of Hell adhered to a strict ethos of scything doom riffs and punk-as-fuck belligerence, while conjuring a disorientating storm of occult grimness that dripped with horror. Not surprisingly, fans of the real thing recognise diehard purity when they hear it, and Friends Of Hell were widely acclaimed as the latest and hottest entity to be belched from Lucifer’s maw.

“After the first album was released we were really amazed by the response!” says Danazoglou. “It was included in the best of year lists of countless places. The plan was then to play live in few selected festivals but unfortunately that was impossible with the old line-up. Albert quit, followed by our guitarist Jondix quitting too, so then myself and original bassist Taneli Jarva (ex Impaled Nazarene/Sentenced)  were joined by Hellbutcher (Nifelheim, Sweden) on vocals, Beelzeebubth (Mystifier, Brazil) on guitar and Sprits joined us as second guitarist, so we could argue that there were some major developments which in the end worked for the best.”

The long-awaited follow-up to Friends Of Hell’s demonically thrilling debut, God Damned You To Hell is a scorched earth campaign against all that is holy. Even more defiantly old school and obnoxious than its predecessor, its primitive barrage of horrified heaviness owes a ghoulish debt to the greats of heavy metal and doom, while summoning some abominable demons of its own. Songs like Bringer Of Evil and Let The Devil Take You harbour ruthless hooks that draw from all manner of leather-clad and spiked sources, while the blasphemous rituals of closer All The Colours Of The Dark cement Friends Of Hell’s burgeoning reputation as harbingers of tangible, tumultuous darkness.

“The second album is way superior to the first one,” avows Danazoglou. “The songs are better, and the music is heavier and more evil! That was the plan from the beginning. The only surprise was that the line-up changed. Hellbutcher’s vocals are just devastating and Beelzeebubth and Sprits are just amazing guitarists! Most of the recording took place here in Cyprus with Sprits at the helm of production. This time things were easier [to complete] than the first album. We were more focused and willing to deliver a devastating blow to weak and fake metal music!”

As they begin their infernal mission in earnest, Friends Of Hell have grown from a spontaneous idea into a fearsome force for guitar-driven infamy. God Damned You To Hell takes a pick-axe to modernity and builds a new monument to Satan in its place. As Danazoglou explains, there really is no other way. Hails!

“Our song themes are and always will remain the same,” he states. “Satanism, witchcraft, horror and death! If the public loved the first album, the second one will blow their minds. It’s on another level. Another level downwards into the pits of hellfire! The one thing that that has really changed is that with this line-up, we will play live and bring mankind to its knees. We want to play and destroy stages. Other than that, we will then focus on the third album which will be the final nail in the coffin lid for mankind!”