Balefire is a new project of Chuck Sherwood, longtime bassist of Incantation and former bassist of Blood Storm. Fittingly, with Balefire do Sherwood and crew stoke the fires of ancient-style Satanic death metal. Comprising six songs in 15 minutes, the band's self-titled first statement surges & churns with malevolent intent, retaining a sooty sound that's old-school but never belabored. Aesthetic signposts include Sadistic Intent, '90s Vader, Peru's Mortem, Finland's Belial, Mexico's Cenotaph, and even earliest Incantation themselves. Familiar yet fiery in its execution, songwriting straightforward but subtly atmospheric, Balefire is an understated triumph of timeless, trend-free values.
