Hell:On
Hunt
Ferrrum.com
2013
Apparently all the demons have been let loose from hell and they are fast escaping into this world, through a portal somewhere in Ukraine, no less.
Hell:On, previously, Hellion (but wisely choosing to change it to avoid un-necessary confusion) seem to have been possessed by many of those demons, especially such high spirits as Vodka and in the 8 short years of their existence they have managed some 4 albums as well as 2 EPs and a demo, (that’s 7 releases!) plus they have toured nonstop! Hard at work… these guys… they seem to enjoy playing some really relentless, guitar charged but also hard hitting thrash-death hybrid, that is brutal. What I like about it, is that it’s not pussywhipped. Ie, it’s melodic, but it’s not like all those “wimpy” Swedish bands that have clean choruses and all that shit to be commercial. No sir, this is as in your face as it could possibly get!!!
On the other hand their singer Alexander Baev has the “Bori syndrome” – ie a bit of a Russian/Slavic sort of accent in his English, which theoretically in death metal should really sound grand, making things even more brutal, after all, most of these Polish death metal bands, tend to sound like they really come from the shitpits of hell and as if their singers are the spokespersons for his infernal majesty... but alas, for some reason, it doesn’t quite work quite like that... here, he’s not bad, I am just guessing it might have something to do with the way in which he sings (a bit too gutturally, if he was a little more “open” not clean, just if his vocal was a bit wider, I’m sure I’d enjoy it a whole lot more...) right now I feel as if he's gargling half of what he’s singing in a somewhat anglo-Russian accent.
Still if you look past that minor quibble, the album is pretty enjoyable, opener “Hear My Call” threatens to put you in the middle of a pit with elephants stomping all around, and “Dormition” that follows it (featuring Marek Pajak from Vader) hardly loosens its grip, it just adds melody in small doses. Another kick ass guitar slinger makes an appearance in the form of Andy LaRoque from King Diamond on the very next track, “Slaughter Smell” that might at times deceive you with its slower passages, but can turn instantly into a lightning fast torrent of a song that just takes down whatever’s on its way. When the next track “Duality” kicks in – you might as well feel like you’re a punching bag and punches keep coming at 100 miles an hour... and that’s pretty much the template for the rest of the songs with only “The Game” having a slower start and closer “Insight” seemingly more mid-tempo and even employing (gasp) cleaner vocals – still growled… don’t worry, these guys haven’t gone Soilwork, or soiled their pants, just yet...
If you enjoy your metal brutal and you like your Vodka – don’t drink alone, check these guys out! Not entirely my thing, but being a puritan sort of guy, I liked the fact that they are dedicated to brutality. They are not bad instrumentally and since the vocals in the extreme metal community are a matter of particular taste… to each his own!
Hell:On, previously, Hellion (but wisely choosing to change it to avoid un-necessary confusion) seem to have been possessed by many of those demons, especially such high spirits as Vodka and in the 8 short years of their existence they have managed some 4 albums as well as 2 EPs and a demo, (that’s 7 releases!) plus they have toured nonstop! Hard at work… these guys… they seem to enjoy playing some really relentless, guitar charged but also hard hitting thrash-death hybrid, that is brutal. What I like about it, is that it’s not pussywhipped. Ie, it’s melodic, but it’s not like all those “wimpy” Swedish bands that have clean choruses and all that shit to be commercial. No sir, this is as in your face as it could possibly get!!!
On the other hand their singer Alexander Baev has the “Bori syndrome” – ie a bit of a Russian/Slavic sort of accent in his English, which theoretically in death metal should really sound grand, making things even more brutal, after all, most of these Polish death metal bands, tend to sound like they really come from the shitpits of hell and as if their singers are the spokespersons for his infernal majesty... but alas, for some reason, it doesn’t quite work quite like that... here, he’s not bad, I am just guessing it might have something to do with the way in which he sings (a bit too gutturally, if he was a little more “open” not clean, just if his vocal was a bit wider, I’m sure I’d enjoy it a whole lot more...) right now I feel as if he's gargling half of what he’s singing in a somewhat anglo-Russian accent.
Still if you look past that minor quibble, the album is pretty enjoyable, opener “Hear My Call” threatens to put you in the middle of a pit with elephants stomping all around, and “Dormition” that follows it (featuring Marek Pajak from Vader) hardly loosens its grip, it just adds melody in small doses. Another kick ass guitar slinger makes an appearance in the form of Andy LaRoque from King Diamond on the very next track, “Slaughter Smell” that might at times deceive you with its slower passages, but can turn instantly into a lightning fast torrent of a song that just takes down whatever’s on its way. When the next track “Duality” kicks in – you might as well feel like you’re a punching bag and punches keep coming at 100 miles an hour... and that’s pretty much the template for the rest of the songs with only “The Game” having a slower start and closer “Insight” seemingly more mid-tempo and even employing (gasp) cleaner vocals – still growled… don’t worry, these guys haven’t gone Soilwork, or soiled their pants, just yet...
If you enjoy your metal brutal and you like your Vodka – don’t drink alone, check these guys out! Not entirely my thing, but being a puritan sort of guy, I liked the fact that they are dedicated to brutality. They are not bad instrumentally and since the vocals in the extreme metal community are a matter of particular taste… to each his own!