One of the cultest names in American death metal, CIANIDE have stuck to their guns for 35 years now, patiently building a canon that’s unrivaled in its consistency and trend-free philosophy. Theirs is a Metal of Death that’s simple, straightforward, and effectively primitive: blunt-force trauma informed by Hellhammer and Chicago forebears DeathStrike, but with a sewer-dredging atmosphere all its own. Originally released in 2005 on Displeased subsidiary From Beyond, Hell’s Rebirth came at a unique time in death metal: well past the genre’s “prime,” but a few years before the old-school renaissance that would explode by decade’s end. That made no difference to CIANIDE, for the power-trio stuck to their untrendy sound and continued to make it nastier, faster, and more primitive. Indeed, Hell’s Rebirth is arguably the most traditionally aggressive CIANIDE album in their hallowed canon, almost exclusively working with their characteristic Hellhammering tempo and, more so, ones that are very nearly blastbeats. Very little doom is to be found here – aside from closing epic “Wormfeast,” so perfectly titled – but no matter: Hell’s Rebirth is razor-sharp in execution and especially songwriting, containing some of CIANIDE’s catchiest moments ever. Now featuring new cover artwork courtesy of VOMITOR’s Death Dealer, CIANIDE bring the past into the present with this LONG-overdue reissue of Hell’s Rebirth, out of print on vinyl for nearly 20 years: this is “The Age of Hell’s Rebirth”!
