HELLHOOKAH - The Curse
NoSlip Records
I should change the intro of my blog to "Give me something interesting or unique and I'll write about it." Seriously when I see a band's name is HELLHOOKAH you're damm right I wanna check em out. Obviously I'm glad I did but when I first gave this their second full length a blast. I was like OK it's cool but I put it on the back burner for a week or two.
So now after two more listens I have a newfound appreciation for this release. First off HELLHOOKAH are a two piece doom act from Lithuanian. Trust me when I say that their nation has not provided me with many acts to write about. So there's why I find this one unique in that respect. The players here are Arnas on vocals, guitar and bass accompanied by Gintare on drums.
Now the one thing that stands out here is Arnas' vocal style which is close to Messiah Marcolin's (formerly of CANDLEMASS for those of you who forgot). Uncanny as it may be he looks like a young version of the Mad Monk. Below is a band photo, he's the tall guy.
So it's with that in mind as well as the style of doom being put forth on this release that I can't help but think of this band as Messiah's children. Yes musically this sounds like a fuckin raw demo version of old CANDLEMASS. Or if you think about it, a Messiah solo album. I mean it has the killer riffs, the dynamic accompany style drum work and the power of explosive structured songs.
Yeah this is epic old school doom that's infectious as hell. If there was one thing I'd subtract points to it would be that Arnas does not has the vocal range of Messiah. That's evident early on with the first two cuts of this seven song release. Otherwise The Curse is pretty damm good.
In an era where doom acts are pushing for a more plus more colossal sound. It's kinda cool to hear an act cut a damm good doom release based on the raw basics and good song writing. Plus it helps that the songs create a want to raise fists and bang yer head. This little o'l band from Lithuanian is the biggest surprise you'll get in 2020.
https://hellhookah.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Hellhookah
No comments:
Post a Comment