Seeing how Southern Lord’s business model of late relies so heavily on Integrity clones, it makes sense for Dwid Hellion — the once and future king of Cleveland hardcore — to return with some ugly new material of his own. Chronologically following up the 2010 Deathwish Inc. effort The Blackest Curse, this new LP shifts back to a version of the ever fluid lineup that prominently features collaborator Robert Orr.
Those familiar with the Holy Terror brand know what to expect from Suicide Black Snake, and those not yet versed in the project’s thuggish grimness will catch up quickly. Hellion howls over charred walls of damned sound, augmented by Orr’s oft-squealing guitar. Repeat as needed. Sufficiently fierce pit outbursts like “All Is None” and “Beasts As Gods” are balanced by longer nihilistic blues jams such as “Lucifer Before The Day Doth Go”. Why reinvent wheels when everyone else is still practicing what Integrity did over a decade ago?