Source: Album Artwork
Comprised of former members of bands such as Dropdead and Paindriver, Rhode Island thrash metallers Hell Bent surely know a thing or two about their genre of choice. Their self-titled EP saw a very limited release, but come January it will released officially worldwide.
The band themselves have said that the record is, “a blend of old-school thrash, crossover, and d-beat hardcore”. From the very first track, ‘Yeast‘, this is confirmed— it’s fast paced, hard to decipher and in your face. It leads in to ‘Desert Death Lord‘, which has more of a build up before launching in to the predominent part of the song. It’s much easier to pick out the vocals with this one, which are short and gutteral.
‘Canis Lupus Superion‘ proves that the record is somewhat repetitive, but that is generally the nature of content from thrash metal bands. It’s difficult to decode the lyrics, which are yelled out at such an alarming pace and pitch.
The latter half of the EP kicks off with ‘Bastard Curse Of Abraham‘, which, initially, has more of melody to it compared to its predecessors. Once again you can’t really understand it lyrically, but there’s a better rhythm to this track which carries on in to ‘Condemned To Life‘.
You soon get the idea that this kind of music isn’t what you’d necessarily listen to while chilling out— it’s far better suited for the stage, where those in the crowd can lose their inhibitions. ‘Scythian Horde‘ is the swan song, rounding off an EP that is most definitely not for the commercial market but will no doubt be quite pleasing to anyone who enjoys a bit of thrash.
