Hellsongs:
These Are Evil Times:
Tapete:
Out 2nd September 2013:
6/10
Hailing from Sweden, signed to a German label and aficionados of UK and US rock bands on previous releases, three-piece Hellsongs are unlikely cosmopolitan troubadours of perky acoustic pop. Seven years ago they released their debut EP Lounge which featured stripped back cock-sure covers of Motorhead, Van Halen and Metallica songs that turned heads and pleased ears.
So quite what was going through the Swede's minds when they came to piece together These Are Evil Times is beyond me. They must be on very good mind-altering muesli. Rammstein are reduced to twee handclapping pop rather than militaristic pomposity on Engel, Black Sabbath's Iron Man is given a right unrecognizable shoeing and gets converted into a Noah and the Whale bouncer and Dio's Stand Up and Shout, originally recorded as a tribute to the late Ronnie James himself, sounds more at home around campfires than hellfires.
Unlike their previous albums, Hellsong's third full-length set features a few self-penned efforts, as opposed to being entirely metal covers. Frankly, they should stick to the covers as they're much more fun. I mean, cop an earful of the pretty Sylvian-esque reading of Entombed's Eyemaster - it's bloody lush with its atmospheric treated piano motif, Fripp-like guitar and funereal pace. You can imagine Kate Bush having a pop at this song or even At The Gates' Cold, transformed here into an eerie ballad for your enjoyment.
Overall the covers are superb, although playing them loudly at Download may earn you a potential dusting down from the punters. Of their own songs, Animal Army (not the Babylon Zoo tune, sadly) passes muster, the rest are so-so. A curiosity worth copping an earful of.
These Are Evil Times:
Tapete:
Out 2nd September 2013:
6/10
So quite what was going through the Swede's minds when they came to piece together These Are Evil Times is beyond me. They must be on very good mind-altering muesli. Rammstein are reduced to twee handclapping pop rather than militaristic pomposity on Engel, Black Sabbath's Iron Man is given a right unrecognizable shoeing and gets converted into a Noah and the Whale bouncer and Dio's Stand Up and Shout, originally recorded as a tribute to the late Ronnie James himself, sounds more at home around campfires than hellfires.
Unlike their previous albums, Hellsong's third full-length set features a few self-penned efforts, as opposed to being entirely metal covers. Frankly, they should stick to the covers as they're much more fun. I mean, cop an earful of the pretty Sylvian-esque reading of Entombed's Eyemaster - it's bloody lush with its atmospheric treated piano motif, Fripp-like guitar and funereal pace. You can imagine Kate Bush having a pop at this song or even At The Gates' Cold, transformed here into an eerie ballad for your enjoyment.
Overall the covers are superb, although playing them loudly at Download may earn you a potential dusting down from the punters. Of their own songs, Animal Army (not the Babylon Zoo tune, sadly) passes muster, the rest are so-so. A curiosity worth copping an earful of.