• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

November 2024

• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
• DGM: Endless
• Daytona: Garder la Flamme
• Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive: Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

• Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
• Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
• Eclipse: Megalomanium II
• SteelCity: Reverence
• Hydra: ReHydrated
• Heartwind: III
• Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
• Find Me: Nightbound
• The Nail: The Nail
• Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
• Stryper: When We Were Kings
• Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
• Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
• Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

• Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
• Paralydium: Universe Calls
• Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
• Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
• All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
• Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

[ More Music Reviews ]

Hell: Curse and Chapter

Melodic/Heavy/Power Metal

5.0/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter
Nuclear Blast Records
by Craig Hartranft
11.13.2013

Back from the fires of Gehenna, seemingly unscorched and ready to set fire your speakers, England's Hell returns with their second effort Curse and Chapter. The path to their present circumstances has been a bit 'hellish' as well and you can read more about it in my review of their previous album Human Remains. Suffice to say that there are few bands today that are doing classic NWOBHM style metal with such skill and power as Hell.

Hell: creepy as ...

Hell is like devious fusion of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and the epic, creepy, doom of Candlemass (without being doom metal). But the best thing is that they don't sound like any of these bands; they sound like Hell. I mean that in a good way, but you got that I'm sure. Essentially, Curse and Chapter is Human Remains Part Deux, and that also is not a bad thing.

According to guitarist Andy Sneap, who helped resurrect the band back in 2011, the album consist of both old and new material, much like the previous album. However, there's no indication of which songs are which. It doesn't really matter. It all sounds fresh whether you were there back in the day, like me, or here today discovering your father's old record collection. This is solid classic melodic, heavy, power metal with David Bower's soaring devilish vocals, a twin guitar blitz, of course, and a blistering rhythm section to keep it pummeling along. Hey, it's all good at nearly one hour of heavy metal awesomeness. Personal favorites: Something Wicked This Way Comes, End of Days, Death Squad (an instrumental), Land of the Living Dead, and the quite groovy and catchy The Age of Nefarious. Easily recommend to 'true' metal purists, and everyone else with good taste. Grin.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

There are few bands today that are doing classic NWOBHM style metal with such skill and power as Hell. Curse and Chapter is another solid and strong effort.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]