Hellcrawler - Wastelands
This is the debut album for this death metal outfit from Slovenia. Focusing their music on the post-apocalyptic wastelands (no idea what from!) they set their music on the assault of human destruction, using old-school death metal and d-beat as an accompaniment.
They start by using an acapella clip to open the album, and then the music goes deeper into the depth of desperation and probably madness caused by the apocalypse. It doesn’t really hit too dark early on, but seem to follow the timeline of what could happen.
Each song is different in how it gets the story across, but each has something in common – primarily the near-growl of the vocals to the speedy drum work and the expert guitar. The lyrics can be heard and they primarily focus on the dark after the storm and what could happen.
The skilful instrumentals and vocals are able to take us from the point after what had happened down and down into what happens to civilisation after. This usage of the apocalypse as the focal point allows the band to stick to their point cleanly and easily, creating a coherent album that gets progressively worse as the world does, and follows itself down its own spiral.
This doesn’t mean that it is all sad and dark, not by a long shot! All of the musicians go from extreme to extreme, but not so fast as to cause a cacophony, but done in such a way that each slide neatly into the next – showing that they are truly good musicians.
A favourite song is Motosluts From Hell, primarily because it is less death metal and more thrash. It’s nice to have this difference in such a dark and pessimistic album, although the subject is depressive, it doesn’t stop the pure power and passion of all the band coming through, with the beat matching either the rhythm of horses galloping and not motorbikes, which is a subtle touch that works.
They start by using an acapella clip to open the album, and then the music goes deeper into the depth of desperation and probably madness caused by the apocalypse. It doesn’t really hit too dark early on, but seem to follow the timeline of what could happen.
Each song is different in how it gets the story across, but each has something in common – primarily the near-growl of the vocals to the speedy drum work and the expert guitar. The lyrics can be heard and they primarily focus on the dark after the storm and what could happen.
The skilful instrumentals and vocals are able to take us from the point after what had happened down and down into what happens to civilisation after. This usage of the apocalypse as the focal point allows the band to stick to their point cleanly and easily, creating a coherent album that gets progressively worse as the world does, and follows itself down its own spiral.
This doesn’t mean that it is all sad and dark, not by a long shot! All of the musicians go from extreme to extreme, but not so fast as to cause a cacophony, but done in such a way that each slide neatly into the next – showing that they are truly good musicians.
A favourite song is Motosluts From Hell, primarily because it is less death metal and more thrash. It’s nice to have this difference in such a dark and pessimistic album, although the subject is depressive, it doesn’t stop the pure power and passion of all the band coming through, with the beat matching either the rhythm of horses galloping and not motorbikes, which is a subtle touch that works.
- Devastation
- Rattlesnake Tavern
- Motosluts From Hell
- Post-Apocalyptic Revolt
- The Molten Faces Tribe
- Firefly Powerplant
- Yet Again The Greed Of Man
- Towards The End
- Demons Within
