Greece's avant-garde metallers Hail Spirit Noir unveil a mindboggling new track

Inspired by the wave of avant-garde playfulness that erupted through the Norwegian black metal scene in the 90s – and very possibly the absurdist theatre that has been their native Greece’s plight in recent years – Thessaloniki’s Hail Spirit Noir are about to unleash their carnivalesque cavalry once more, in the brilliant and bewildering form of album number three, Mayhem In Blue.

Due out on release from Bergen, Norway’s Dark Essence Records asylum on October 28, Mayhem In Blue is the band’s heaviest release yet, channelling the likes of Solefald and Vulture Industries into new Newton-infuriating parallel universes without sacrificing any of the psychedelic strangeness that marked out their earlier works.

If this sounds like your cup of mushroom tea, rejoice, because we have a preview of the opening track, genially titled I Mean You Harm. Part punkabilly groove, part evil circus freakout and part blackened crust diatribe, its four minutes is likely to leave wondering why the floor isn’t horizontal, and expecting any nearby door to open to some black and white spiral that’s inadvisable to enter.

“Have you ever wanted to spiritually maim and physically hurt someone out of the goodness of your heart?” query the band on the subject of the songs. “Ah, pure magic. This is the beginning track of the album and the soundtrack to your morbid desires, little devilish ones. Whistle with us!”

Rub you hands with glee, twist your ‘tache and cackle wildly as you enter the weird and wonderful world of I Mean You Harm below!

Wind your way to Hail Spirit Noir’s Facebook page here!

And pre-order Mayhem In Blue via Bandcamp, the Dark Essence EU store or their US Store!

Having freelanced regularly for the Melody Maker and Kerrang!, and edited the extreme metal monthly, Terrorizer, for seven years, Jonathan is now the overseer of all the album and live reviews in Metal Hammer. Bemoans his obsolete superpower of being invisible to Routemaster bus conductors, finds men without sideburns slightly circumspect, and thinks songs that aren’t about Satan, swords or witches are a bit silly.