FALSE PROPHET was a Thrash / Death project from Greensborough, NC. They changed their name to INFERNAL HIERARCHY in 1993, but in 2013 released a live album, under their original name. "The Second Death" was released in 1991, and then re-released in 2014 with a few extra songs thrown into the lineup. Despite the fact that they are described as a Thrash / Death band, there is quite a Black Metal edge to their sound.

"The Second Death" begins with quite the evil intro, spoken in a deep ferocious demonic voice. From there it goes into a fast, raw sounding metal malevolence. The vocals are mostly harsh, being that mostly associated with Black Metal style shrieks and growls. Later in the album they do incorporate little clean vocals. The drum work is definitely fast and hard hitting, complete with a lot of double bass work. (Not so much the blast beat) The guitars are raw and grim, fast, and intricate. All of the transitions are nice and smooth. The lyrical content is based around religious themes, and the war between heaven and hell. (Another thing that induces me to say that they are quite Black Metal oriented.) As far as composition is concerned, it is a well put together album.

All in all it is an interesting album. It's a nice little mix of a couple different sub genres. The evil content is definitely something I enjoy. The raw sound that they have is a big plus; you can tell it is old school. There's really not much repetition, meaning I have not gotten bored listening to it. They switch up quite a bit, and fit it all together smoothly. It's interesting that there's not much on the web about these guys, most of what I found was for an Australian band. But this album certainly keeps it brutal. Any fan of the old school Death / Thrash / Black Metal sound should enjoy.