Helvete Inc. - The New Flesh

S.T.R. got its start in music through various extreme metal projects. Not one unfamiliar with genre-breaking and boundary-pushing music, S.T.R. decided to tackle industrial music by mixing its influence of goth, metal, synthwave, and punk all into one project. Adding in a dash of horror movie inspiration and performance artist flair, S.T.R. went on to create the one-being, self-described DeathSynth project Helvete Inc.. It did not take the project too long to gain some traction as Helvete Inc.'s music caught the attention of Manta Ray Records, which led to the release of their debut, 2018 album "Filth" on the label. The strong start of Helvete Inc. led to a continuous musical journey which culminated in the releases of 2018's single 'Segue', the late 2018 EP "The Inevitability of Nothing", the five track, continuous mix "SADO" in 2019, and a March 2019 single release for 'The Devil Inside'.

2020 has brought in a new phase for Helvete Inc. as S.T.R. has partnered with Manta Ray to form its own record label called Deathglam Sindustry. Not only that, but Helvete Inc. has added in live members for the project including: guitarist Vile, bassist Neineleven, and Keyboardist Coffin Nachtmahr. Furthering Helvete Inc.'s evolution, S.T.R.'s typical one-being song-writing process was shaken up slightly as member Neineleven contributed lyrics to the track 'Genophobia'. With history out of the way, I can begin to discuss the themes and ideas behind Helvete Inc.'s music. 

Helvete Inc.'s premise is to address the topic of mental illnesses by exploring S.T.R.'s world of Golgotha; it is a plane of existence only known to those with mental illness. S.T.R. took the concept further by separating its works into two different forms: those of the Minor Arcana and Major Arcana classifications. Major Arcana albums revolve around the Golgotha mythos while Minor Arcana do not. "The New Flesh" is considered to be a Minor Arcana work. Despite being a Minor Arcana work, that does not suggest that Helvete Inc. is dodging tough subjects as the first song the album, 'Plague Nation', proves.



'Plague Nation' has lines from news reels such as "A state of emergency has been declared in the United States of America," and "Doctors still appear to be baffled by this new, so-called super flu," in the opening moments of the song. Like many others, Helvete Inc. was effected by the current ongoing global pandemic. 'Plague Nation' has old school industrial kicks which switches back and forth with chaotic, metal infused blasts of screaming noise. This seems like an angry track for the chaos and confusion that's currently occurring. 

The rare phenomenon of a project properly paying homage to the roots of electro-industrial comes about on the song 'Genophobia' where clanging metallic synths brood while echoing vocals and deep hymns sing over it. S.T.R.'s metal background comes through during the chorus where guitar riffs, growling vocals, and harder percussive elements takeover. However, my favorite song on the album comes in the form of 'An End To All Things'. An experimental and ominous track featuring darkened synths and scratchy layers; it's phenomenal. The pads punched me in the face with eighties throwbacks and I couldn't help but to imagine this song being an alternate backing track to Nightmare on Elm Street, such as when Freddy and Tina first meet. 

The mixed horror and industrial vibes backed with sampled shouts on 'If In The Event It Falls Apart', the short burst of raw electronic feedback on 'Technocynicism', the odd and psychedelic sounds found on '" "', the wonderful cover (both the original mix and single edit) of Prince's 'Controversy', the instrumental title tack 'The New Flesh', and the further experimental hijinks found on 'An End To All Things' are all worthy of praise in among themselves. But to sit here and compliment Helvete Inc. over and over for their eerie and unsettling synth-mastery would be a redundant exercise. Instead, let me move onto the only complaint I could really lodge on this album. 

'The Death Ov A Delusion' was not a track that I enjoyed all that much. I sometimes hear my friends joke about how songs sound like they went through a blender and were spat back out into an electronic mess. This is how I feel about 'The Death Ov A Delusion'; it's like a glitch occurred in a system and the same note is being repeating one-thousand times per second. The pace of the vocals match the furious pace of the song but it did not help me to enjoy it anymore. When I do come back to "The New Flesh", you can be sure that I'll be skipping this song each and every single time I spin the record. Nonetheless, this one dislike does not ruin "The New Flesh" for me.

Helvete Inc. is simply brilliant. It is able to combine its influences into one unsettling piece. If music was a puzzle, then Helvete Inc. is an enigmatologist. While its old school industrial influences are written on its sleeve, "The New Flesh" fails to be a clone or a copy of anything that I've heard in the past. Rather it is forging its own path forward with robotic precision. Eight out of ten. Great! 

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Dec 20 2020