‘Maelstrom of Abhorrent Incantations’ is the debut album by David Vadkerti-Toth under his project name of Hamvak. His initial work under this name came in the form of a 2017 released demo, but now he has taken the much larger step and created a full-length release that will see CD releases by both Morbid Chapel Records and Rotten Tomb Records this month.
Hamvak plays desolate sounding Death Metal with an intensely gloomy atmosphere and would appeal to fans of bands such as Swiss group Bolzer, or even heavyweight acts such as Incantation or Morbid Angel. Opening track ‘Arrows of Vengeance’ is a bleakly expansive offering; a convergence if you will, of powerfully dark guitar leads, harrowing and unrelenting drumming, a deluge of angry bass play and haunting growled vocals.
My favourite track on this album must be ‘Storming Abhorrent Forces’ as it epitomises everything that is grim and destructive about this album, whilst injecting a shock of groove drenched adrenaline into proceedings through razor sharp riffs, a slower drum tone and phenomenally heavy bass leads. That being said, it is hard to pick out one track from amongst the six on offer, as each one has their own malevolent charms, and as a whole the album is oppressively atmospheric, disturbing and cloying. Through superb song craft and impressive musicianship, Hamvak creates something noxious and unholy to coat this world in filth!
