HOD Hire New Bassist, Book Upcoming March Shows


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San Antonio blackened death horde, HOD, is pleased to officially induct bassist, ZVS Gastelum, into their infernal ranks. Gastelum comes by way of Texas black metal legion, Plutonian Shore, as well as Gnostic and replaced longtime HOD comrade, Robert “Trans AM” Coleman.

Comments the band,

“Changes suck but sometimes they have to happen. After many years of service and brotherhood our brother Robert ‘Trans AM’ Coleman is no longer in HOD. TA will be missed for sure. We hope he gets everything he wants with his current projects and future endeavors. Best of luck to you, brother! We would also like to welcome ZVS Gastelum. ZVS had been filling in on bass while TA was out with Goatwhore, and did a great job. So the choice to bring ZVS into the fold was an easy one to make. ZVS fronts his own band Plutonian Shore, and brings with him many years of live experience. The guy will crush your skull! We are stoked to get out on the road with this demon and unleash hell!”

HOD released their Book Of The Worm full-length last Fall via Arctic Music. Produced by Dennis Munoz (Solstice) and featuring artwork by Jon Zig (Averse Sefira, Deeds of Flesh, Pyrexia), Book Of The Worm is HOD’s first full-length since 2009’s Ibex Moon-released Serpent, amidst several smaller releases, delivering their most catastrophic material to date.

The band has announced a few upcoming shows:

Mar 20: Siberia – New Orleans, LA
Mar 21: Churchill’s Pub – Miami, FL (w/ Kult Ov Azazel, Solstice, Druid Lord, more)

HOB on Bandcamp
HOB on Reverbnation
Arctic Music on Facebook


Hod – Book Of The Worm


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Combining the virulent strains of death and black metal shouldn’t be too much of a problem given how many traits they share, so it’s surprising how many bands make an utter balls-up of this endeavour; often sacrificing the quirks and intricacies of both genres in favour of jacking up the brutality and hoping it will cover the cracks. Thankfully Texas quartet Hod aren’t one of them, for their sophomore album Book of the Worm (Arctic Music Group) manages to be both mercilessly extreme and gripping enough to make this a match made in heaven (hell).

Propelled along by the seemingly endless array of face-melting riffs courtesy of guitarist Carl “Lord Necron” Snyder, Hod never risk losing the listener’s attention, especially seeing as the album only lasts a mere 34 minutes. Effortless shifting between scything black metal guitar workouts like on coruscating album opener ‘When the Ghouls Feed’ to the late 80s US grindcore vibes of ‘Den of Wolves’, the atmosphere never dips below aggressive as fuck, and the frequent nods to the origins of the genres where writing actual songs was a pre-requisite will stretch a grin across the face of anyone who likes their extreme metal to be both catchy and brutal.

The avalanche of grim grandeur that is ‘Through the Gates (They Come For Me)’ is the kind of pure Satanic violence that Deicide used to pen when they were still scary, while the simplistic blasting fury of ‘Under Tyranny’s Hammer’ will delight those who wear Black Witchery shirts and attend Nuclear War Now! Festival every year. Simply put, Book of the Worm has something for everyone and is an instantly enjoyable snapshot of the extreme metal underground in both the US and beyond.

8.0/10

Hod on Facebook

JAMES CONWAY