Hell To Pay
Judgement Day
Snake Records
2013
Somehow, the way the cover is designed, I thought the band name and title were the other way around, but – alas they are not. This British quartet must have been going on for at least 3-4 years, playing live shows, but they’re only debuting now. Paying their dues live has paid in spades as it has given them a certain “air” and experience that translates in feeling at ease and capturing a rather lively vibe in their songs.
They seem to be going for a rock ‘n metal hybrid that’s mixing both old and new in healthy doses, I’d say mostly the sound of yesterday with the attitude and “phat” sound and production values of today. Without being the ones to reinventing the wheel, Hell To Pay are way more serious that a lot of the rock ‘n roll messiahs that NME had proclaimed as the “next” big thing the last few years and were proven only to be one hit wonders. These lads, are way more focused on writing songs based on guitars riffs and melodies and listening to their album, I was sort of finding similarities to The Almighty, Wolfsbane and the likes… and up to a point maybe a more indirect link to Maiden and some of their forerunners (all those 70s rock bands, ye know…).
Way more original that all those “faux” bands like The Answer and Wolfmother, Hell To Pay, do not sound retro, which makes them extra cool, they are hip, but not hipster. Their only slight issue is that they do not seem to have a battering ram of a “hit single” with which to storm the charts, or the UK would have been chanting their name as if they were the second coming of the Darkness!
“Prisoners of War” is riffy and dark and mixes both Maiden and some well-meant Sabbathy heaviness, showing that the band means business right from the start.
“Devil in Me” is more devilishly delicious, with a nasty riff, hooking all over and the singer Daniel Martin going for a bluesier delivery that fits the song like a glove.
“Run” goes back to a more dramatic mid-tempo, with a repeated refrain, that could be memorable, but is a little borderline...
“The End” for most of its duration is a ballad, but it has some parts where it really gets loud and daring and pompous and impressive. Not exactly a conventional “power ballad” more of an “eventful one”
“Judgement Day” has a heavy as hell riff, a decent solo and a simple but effective chorus. Not bad.
“Going Down” is helluva different, with its “Southern flavor”… did someone have a BBQ and wrote this? Haha! Well it’s just is a few miles left of the rest of the other songs on the album, without being bad. It’s just vastly different.
“Mistreated” which started with a very Sabbathesque riff, had me “before it started” wondering if it was going to be a cover. Well it wasn’t and it’s a melodic original, that’s quite enjoyable... in fact! Quite a surprise! (*)
“Take Us Away” is a rather mysterious song that sounds a little like American epic metal, of all things...
(sth that wouldn’t exactly have felt entirely out of place on an Armored Saint album, but a more slow number!??!?!?!?!?)
Finally there’s “Let It Go” a sort of moody song, full of attitude and lots of breaks that lead to a cool solo! Weird selection! And an awesome closer. * (After that in some editions there’s a cover – yup this time it’s a cover of Deep Purple’s “Stormbringer” that the band, really claims as their own quite convincingly.)
They seem to be going for a rock ‘n metal hybrid that’s mixing both old and new in healthy doses, I’d say mostly the sound of yesterday with the attitude and “phat” sound and production values of today. Without being the ones to reinventing the wheel, Hell To Pay are way more serious that a lot of the rock ‘n roll messiahs that NME had proclaimed as the “next” big thing the last few years and were proven only to be one hit wonders. These lads, are way more focused on writing songs based on guitars riffs and melodies and listening to their album, I was sort of finding similarities to The Almighty, Wolfsbane and the likes… and up to a point maybe a more indirect link to Maiden and some of their forerunners (all those 70s rock bands, ye know…).
Way more original that all those “faux” bands like The Answer and Wolfmother, Hell To Pay, do not sound retro, which makes them extra cool, they are hip, but not hipster. Their only slight issue is that they do not seem to have a battering ram of a “hit single” with which to storm the charts, or the UK would have been chanting their name as if they were the second coming of the Darkness!
“Prisoners of War” is riffy and dark and mixes both Maiden and some well-meant Sabbathy heaviness, showing that the band means business right from the start.
“Devil in Me” is more devilishly delicious, with a nasty riff, hooking all over and the singer Daniel Martin going for a bluesier delivery that fits the song like a glove.
“Run” goes back to a more dramatic mid-tempo, with a repeated refrain, that could be memorable, but is a little borderline...
“The End” for most of its duration is a ballad, but it has some parts where it really gets loud and daring and pompous and impressive. Not exactly a conventional “power ballad” more of an “eventful one”
“Judgement Day” has a heavy as hell riff, a decent solo and a simple but effective chorus. Not bad.
“Going Down” is helluva different, with its “Southern flavor”… did someone have a BBQ and wrote this? Haha! Well it’s just is a few miles left of the rest of the other songs on the album, without being bad. It’s just vastly different.
“Mistreated” which started with a very Sabbathesque riff, had me “before it started” wondering if it was going to be a cover. Well it wasn’t and it’s a melodic original, that’s quite enjoyable... in fact! Quite a surprise! (*)
“Take Us Away” is a rather mysterious song that sounds a little like American epic metal, of all things...
(sth that wouldn’t exactly have felt entirely out of place on an Armored Saint album, but a more slow number!??!?!?!?!?)Finally there’s “Let It Go” a sort of moody song, full of attitude and lots of breaks that lead to a cool solo! Weird selection! And an awesome closer. * (After that in some editions there’s a cover – yup this time it’s a cover of Deep Purple’s “Stormbringer” that the band, really claims as their own quite convincingly.)
OK. Hell To Pay are quite capable and decent and seem to have a genuine need to rock. It shows in their music that they are not shitty, they are actually promising, but for all intends and purposes they could turn out supernova or superturds, it’s up to them I guess.
Albums like this are pivotal, because they might be few in between right now and irregular but show a growing trend for the guitar to make a return. All those kids, that were playing guitar hero some years ago are now growing and you know something – we’re gonna get some – Guitar Heroes, real ones, before soon!
Albums like this are pivotal, because they might be few in between right now and irregular but show a growing trend for the guitar to make a return. All those kids, that were playing guitar hero some years ago are now growing and you know something – we’re gonna get some – Guitar Heroes, real ones, before soon!