No More Tickets for this Speed/Thrash Shredfest – 100% [O Savatage polonês!]
bayern, January 16th, 2017
There are albums that sweep you from the get-go and carry you safely all the way to the gory… sorry, glory end. You wouldn’t expect this to be done by an act named Hellfire, of course. You wouldn’t trust artists “hiding” under such an infernal moniker to take you anywhere but to the deepest pits of… well, hell. In this particular case you have to take my word for it: we have five “angels” (definitely not “demons”) from Poland who decided to make the new millennium a fine period to live in by releasing two most shining examples of classic progressive speed/thrash, a gorgeous double (a band releasing two LP’s in quick succession before splitting up or taking a lengthy break) which may as well remain unsurpassed on Polish, or probably even on European ground for years to come.
The Poles have always been more interested in death metal, and their contribution to that genre has been quite voluminous, second only to Sweden in Europe. However, even the less initiated should remember this attractive speed/thrash metal package constituting Kat, Wolf Spider, Turbo, Hammer, Astharoth, Hellias and Acrimony. Other names can by all means be added to this list, but from a mainstream point-of-view Polish thrash has never been a steady seller; even more so nowadays. Acts like Merciless Death, Brainwashed, Manslaughter, Fanthrash, the excellent Voivod-worshippers Myopia, Raging Death, the technical sterile modern thrashers Maggoth, the progressive death/thrash hybriders Vedonist try to keep the flame alive at present, but it will take more to make Polish thrash a major player on the European metal field.
Hellfire by all means fit into this group, but their delivery is more flamboyant and diverse. It takes elements from speed and a bit of power metal, and blends it with the furious thrashy “skirmishes” for the creation of a most compelling listen that combines the best from luminaries like Manticora, Agent Steel, Paradox, Destiny’s End/late-80’s Helstar, and a not very known, but utterly essential US act from the late-80’s, Holy Terror (also “a double” possessors). Two of the people responsible for this should be mentioned beforehand: the guitar player Artur Grabowski aka Xan, a virtuoso of Shrapnel-like proportions whose inhuman versatile shreds are a vital ingredient from the band’s “cuisine”. The other performer is Tomasz Twardowski aka Tom the Storm, a hugely gifted vocalist from the John Cyriis (Agent Steel), Ski (Deadly Bllessing), and early Eric AK (Flotsam & Jetsam) school; in other words, expect outstanding high-strung dramatic exploits behind the mike the man crying, wailing, screaming and everything in-between to give his fair share to the bombastic aura of this recording.
The band’s debut, which came out in 2003, was already a stunning display of dazzling musicianship, classic intricate speed/thrash at its uncompromising best. The guys simply had to rise to their own challenge since they didn’t have much competition in their homeland at the time. Even Atlas’ rise would be humbled compared to the album reviewed here; if that was ever possible, the band have managed to top their first coming by a certain notch. If the debut was easily beating more speed metal-prone acts like Persuader, early Blind Guardian and the Finns Predator in their own game, the album reviewed here is a most perfect blend of all the three aforementioned styles although to these ears power metal has been reduced to less than a humble “assistant”, and it can’t be any other way with this constant blitzkrieg cannonade crashing from all sides.
One has to bypass a “Fallen Mary” first, a short intro with the supposed Mary talking about her fall or thereabouts, before he/she gets exposed to the speed/thrashing “carnage” which starts without any ado with “Road to Hell”, a most appropriate title with schizoid fast riffs lashing painfully topped by standout dramatic vocal tirades; classical virtuosities arrive later in both the lead and the riff department to enchant the listener. “The House” begins with a peaceful balladic stroke, but the machine gun-like delivery resumes before long the ultra-sharp riffage carving burrows in the fan’s body. “Needle Dance” will make all the needles in your house dance the thrash “waltz” which starts with a brilliant nod to the classical heritage in the best tradition of Helstar’s “Nosferatu”; furious gallops follow suit the guys weaving unforgettable rhythmic labyrinths which become more aggressive and a tad less melodic in the second half with Twardowski ruling the proceedings with impossible hellish screams.
“Twist of Knige” has a quiet piano tune pacifying the listener who has to brace him/herself for another display of classical-oriented genius before more laid-back mid-tempo shred takes over to stay there till the end. “Wired Tale/Deadly Lullaby” unleashes heavy, almost doomy, guitars initially before the speed/thrashing crescendos commence on full-throttle interrupted in the middle by a brash more technical whirlwind; expect an imposing lead-driven passage near the end, too, alongside superb virtuous shredding. “Insidious Treat” is straight-ahead speed metal the more intense thrashy additives appearing mid-way to make this cut the lost hymn from Paradox’ “Heresy”. “Defection” tries to “defect to the enemies” with another serene interlude, but impetuous epic thrashing saves the day the riffs staying more on the pounding, choppy side with a very sharp, cutting edge; superb mid-paced rifforama with progressive build-ups and marvellous guitar acrobatics. The final “The Answer” will answer all questions you may have regarding classic speed/thrash the guys changing tempos at will, making this anthem the most technical composition here with steel gallops taking turns with hyper-active speedy “shootings” the ensuing drama accentuated by another over-the-top, operatic performance by Twardowski.
One may think that Marty Friedman, Toby Knapp and Jason Becker have gotten together here to give way to their passion for the good old speed/thrash… the virtuoso shredding is so dense that it would be hard to believe that neither of these musicians, or at least another less known representative from the Shrapnel catalogue, hasn’t been involved in the creation of this unparalleled shredfest. Xan is helped by another axeman, Jakub Olejnik, who disappeared without a trace after this album never to be heard again. The two guitarists duel like demented throughout these 50-min only having a break on those several short quiet moments, giving a rare lesson in technical/progressive speed/thrash riffing which goes beyond the early sketches drawn by Hawaii and Cacophony. If Tony Fredianelli’s Apocrypha presented the heavy, squashing side of virtuoso Shredland, Hellfire has very nicely taken care of its hyper-active, speedy one. It’s hard to think of another band nowadays playing in the fast parametres with such high riffy density. Paradox’s Charlie Steinhauer’s collaboration with the Obscura guitar maestro Christian Munzner came very close on the Germans’ “Tales of the Weird”, and their latest opus “Pangea” is another noteworthy example of this exuberant style. The previously mentioned Manticora are also a strong contender, but their approach is more progressive and more diverse with less concentration on shredding spiral-like dramatics. Some would like to throw in the name Dragonforce here, but the UK riffmongers are much more melodic and much less imaginative.
The band are not active as of now, but Xan is busy with half of the Polish metal constellation on a full-time basis, shredding with the thrash metal outfit Dragon’s Eye, the death metal cohort Sphere, the technical thrash/death wizards Vedonist, and a few more acts. A very very busy schedule for sure although neither of these formations seems to be a vehicle for his extraordinary talents except Vedonist to some extent; he hasn’t been fully utilized, and may as well one day, just like that, decide to stir another feast of hellish firo… sorry, pyrotechnics.
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