Ladies and gentlemen, I give
you: Hell!
The accolades proceeds them
and they are already the most talked about metal band of 2011, and they will
surely be on many lips over the summer of 2011. But what the hell is all the
fuzz about? We are after all talking about the reemerged NWOBHM band that prior
to this album only has managed to release 4 demo-tapes and a single between 1981
and 1986. They have been an underground cult act ever since, sort of an unsung
hero of the scene. And on their debut album they present us with remakes of
songs from back then.
Andy Sneap has been the
driving force to bring back Hell - he took guitar lessons from now
deceased original guitarist Dave Halliday - and has therefore a personal
connection to the material. The question is: can you recapture the spirit of the
early 80s and still be competitive? Answer: Hell yeah!
"Human Remains" has the
spirit of the 80s and it delivers at the highest level possible! The songs have
stood the test of time and belong among the best compositions I have heard from
that period of time, it is almost unreal how well the songs fit into today's
musical landscape. Much credit has to go to Andy Sneap - the production is quite
simply brilliant! He has given the songs a powerful, honest and almost organic
sound, not unlike the brilliant Accept production he did in 2010, and the result
is a very current and classic sounding album.
Hell has surely been
more influential that they've ever been credited for, so when you hear passages
that remind you of Over Kill, Judas Priest or King Diamond you have to ask
yourself: who influenced who? That alone proves just how timeless and unique
their sound and material was back in the early 80s! One of the most respected
metal journalists Malcolm Dome has made the following statement: "This will be
one of the landmark metal albums of the second decade of the 21st century".
I have to agree with him on this one, not because this is the perfect
album, but simply because it captures the essence of the early 80s like no other
album in the past 20 years!
Hell has made a hell of an album (pun
intended) and I am sure they will be the talk of 2011 and "Human Remains" will
surely be topping many Album of the Year lists, simply because they have been
able to transcend the spirit of the early 80s perfectly into this millennium.
Would they have received the same kind of hype had they not had the history to
back them up? Probably not, and the real question is: Will they be able to
follow this one up with an equally strong sophomore album? Only time will
tell...
But for now there is only one way for Hell:
UP!
