The Black Nativity is the complete opposite. And not in a good way.

Illinois Christian black metallers A Hill To Die Upon burst onto the scene with 2009s brilliant Infinite Titanic Immortal. They followed that up with 3 solid albums, but have been silent since 2017 Via Artis Via Mortis.

So after 8 years, they have come back and the album they chose to come back with is essentially a black metal-ized cover album of classic Christmas and other seasonal hymns and songs….. I’ll let that sink in.

Now, they have rendered their version of old-timey folk songs before the Omens album (“Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down”). But if you ever wanted to hear a dour, plodding metal version of “We Three Kings” with groaned metal vocals. It’s here. or how about their equally morose take on “What Child is This”? Yep. Oh and how would you like the somber beauty of “Silent Night” ruined with bland guitars and rasped vocals, you can listen to “Stille Nacht”. They even tackle the French Christmas song “Entre le Boeuf”, one of the oldest Christmas carols, making it a punky black metal blaster.

New Year’s isn’t spared either with an acoustic rendition of “Auld Lang Syne”, which is delightfully relaxing, but they don’t mess with it and there are no vocals, so that’s why.

An early Karl Sanders appearance (“Hymn to Marduk I”) doesn’t save the album that ends with a cover of “133 Hebrew Children”, another “Hymn to Marduk” and “Minuit Chretien” which is the best cover here, as it’s a simple female rendition of a beautiful poem/hymn.

A Hill To Die Upon are good musicians, their past albums say so, and I respect their beliefs, and while The Black Nativity was a bold choice after an 8-year layoff, I kind of get making the nativity ‘black’…it fails miserably, sucking the joy and magic from Christmas classics.

Hailing from the depths of Illinois, A Hill to Die Upon is a fresh new black/death metal act started by the Cook brothers (Adam-guitars/vocals, Michael-Drums), and for a band that’s only been around a year or so (with band members under the age of 20 at the time of recording), Infinite Titanic Immortal is a killer release that bodes well for the future.

Don’t let the Dimmu Borgir-ish three word album title fool you, this isn’t flowery, or synth filled or even remotely trendy, this is a guitar driven, war metal styled release that reminds me if fellow Illinoisans Forest of Impaled, the UKs Spearhead and maybe a stripped down Behemoth with its deft mix of death metal and black metal. Though vocally, things are more on the death metal side with a gruff, but understandable throaty roar/rasp, musically things are a competent mix of melodic death/black metal and death metal, but with plenty of heft and militant/Romanic war marches thrown in.

Admittedly, Infinite Titanic Immortal takes a little while to find its footing with introduction “Of Fire and Division” and “Prometheus Rebound” doing little to grab my attention, but the killer trio of “This King Never Smiles”, “Season of the Starved Wolf” and “Twin Heads of Vengeance” snarl from the speakers with a supine mix of melody and scathing slicing riffs with stern war marches, I am truly impressed by the bands scope and skill. In fact, every track on the album is a keeper after the first two tracks (with the exception of interlude “The Dark Road”). The production is frosty blackness and death metal heft combined perfectly for a crystal clear clarion that gives tracks like “Heka Secundus (On Slithering Ice)”, Behemoth-ish is gait of “We Soulless Men” and epically blistering “Eclipse of Serpents” (an arguable standout if I had to choose one) a presence and confidence many debuts simply lack. Even six minute instrumental closer “Rime” kept my attention, and I really don’t care for instrumentals.

Rather than simply be another The Black Dahlia Murder rip off, A Hill to Die Upon has forged their own path of battle hardened and epic European influences and come away with one of the more impressive American black metal debuts of 2009, if not the last couple of years (with the exception of Krallice). Abigail who?

Oh, did I mention this is a Christian band? My bad, guess I should have mentioned that earlier, eh?