Despite its makers' insistence on dubbing it "blackened hardcore," there's nary a d-beat in earshot on the latest release from this Copenhagen quintet. Rather, Hexis churn out confrontational noise-tinged black metal that's far more grind than grim and comes off like an unholy pact between Knelt Rote and Amenra. "Desolatum" is a storm surge of a song, barreling by in under two minutes and leaving death rattles in its wake. There's a pervasive chaotic element that reaches towards Portal's all-consuming din but veers off into sharper, more streamlined direction. The band's roots may well lie in hardcore, but on Abalam (out January 11), nearly every whiff of punk has been expunged, burnt to a coal-black crisp.