Mexico’s Helm of Terror is moving forward with the plan they laid out prior to the release of their debut album, “Anatomy of Fear”. They are now releasing the third single from the album, “The Pact”—the third single, the third dark story set against a soundscape blending prog metal with touches of deathcore. These three singles are accompanied by three music videos and three podcast episodes.
“Anatomy of Fear” won’t be a concept album in the classic sense of the term, but it will be an album centered around a guiding concept: serial killers, psychological terror, and the tragedy of violence. That’s where this third musical offering from the band fits in. “The Pact” continues the sonic direction established by the first two releases, “Surrogate” and “S.O.S. (Son of Sam)”: modern metal open to whatever label listeners choose to apply to it. Ultimately, it’s music with an undeniable guitar drive—which, of course, shine thanks to the relentless work of the rhythm section—and it blends the concept with a voice that unsettles, as it should when discussing serial killers.
The band consists of Diego Zarabozo (vocals), Sergio Aguilar (guitar), Manuel Vázquez (guitar), Daniel Villarreal (bass), Ernesto Martínez Villaseñor (drums), and Ismael Casasola Bosch (lyrics). With three singles out, Helm of Terror’s universe is increasingly taking shape. “The Pact” was produced by Manuel Vázquez, mixed by Geiler May, and mastered by Dan Swäno. On this occasion, the narrative focuses on the pacts made with dark entities hidden within the fabric of everyday life to attain that which deeply draws us in: the loss of self in the maelstrom of desire and the misery of the soul in the face of the subjugation of the will.
As for the video, Paco Guerrero directed it in collaboration with cinematographer Sergei Saldivar. Helm of Terror is a band that understands and embraces all the elements surrounding it—not just the music. That’s why the band members’ visuals were carefully designed by Lenke Schulhof and framed by Kenny Glick’s aesthetic.
The artwork for the project includes a comic strip drawn by Alfredo Bedolla, a visual companion that tells a parallel story for each single on the album and weaves these narratives together through their main characters: Lucy Ferguson and the band’s mascot, Vermis Mentis. Each release is also accompanied by a podcast, produced by the accomplished writer Gabriel Santos, with sound design by Gabriel Chávez and voice direction by Mireya Mendoza; it’s a work that immerses us in a world of chilling detective mystery.
This is Helm of Terror, a band made up of musicians with extensive experience in Mexico who found a way to bring to light musical concepts that didn’t fit into their other projects. In this unique universe, terror, violence, and the vileness of the human psyche coexist with sharp riffs, modern growls, top-notch production, and an entire parallel visual and auditory realm that expands the experience.
