Since their arrival on the hard rock scene in the early ’10s, Hell In The Club have demonstrated an obvious knack for sleazy, old fashioned “hair metal”. Formed by a couple of musicians with links to European prog metal bands, it began as a way to have fun, but quickly became far more than a side project. Even at the point where you’d think HITC’s retro schtick would have run out of steam, on their 2020 release ‘Hell of Fame’, they sounded as good as ever, showing that they were still capable of delivering fantastic riffs and massive, cheesy chorus hooks. In some ways, their carefree, non-political approach, and willingness to convey a party spirit was exactly what was called for to distract everyone from those early Covid ridden times.
Monthly Archives: March 2022
DAS KAPITANS – Big Muff / MTV
After hitting upon the stupidly ambitious idea to release an album every month, UK noise rock/indie punk band Das Kapitans found themselves insanely busy throughout 2021. Not only did they achieve their goal, but they also left the world with a body of work that was of a much higher quality than such bulk, rush released product would ever suggest. Just using the ‘Fall’ and ‘Happy’ albums to gauge the band’s sound, the quickly amassed catalogue is a treasure trove for lovers of noisy, guitar based rock/punk, with tunes like ‘Boney’ and ‘Cranberry Sauce’ whipping up a very 90s punk sound indebted to Wipers, and the more melodic ‘Blue’ coming across like a supercharged blend of classic Sonic Youth and the more contemporary sounds of the early Arctic Monkeys. Twelve albums is a lot to take in by anyone’s standards, but it’s fair to say you can drop into the dozen pretty much at any point and discover some great, hook driven noise.
MARILLION – An Hour Before It’s Dark
Following the release of their eighteenth studio album ‘FEAR’, Marillion found themselves somewhere near the top of their game. The recording had gained them a vast amount of praise, and the subsequent tour saw the band sell out London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Not a bad result for a band that some quarters of the press had previously written off. Although a rather dense listen, ‘FEAR’ covered a lot of musical ground, and had plenty of moments that suggested the band were in a more creative space than they’d been for some time. Between some dark arrangements, politically charged lyrics and a desire to make their listeners think, it felt like Marillion’s most complete sounding work for some time. Not necessarily their “best”, but arguably their most coherent.
DEATHCOLLECTOR – Times Up EP
Despite changing fashions within the rock and metal community, there’s always been plenty of room for bands who like to keep things traditional. DeathCollector – a band bringing together English/Irish musicians and featuring an ex-member of Bolt Thrower – brazenly fly the flag for no nonsense trad death metal on their debut EP. There are moments where the death is peppered by other equally angry subgenres, but in the main, its three tracks bring together some massive riffs and a sense of force that calls back to many of death’s forefathers. The bulk of the material may be hugely retro, but between some impeccably played riffs and tautly wound, relentless rhythms, the band’s desire to draw heavily from the past sounds anything but stale.