Hellbringer - Hellbringer EP

Black speed-induced thrash has made its way north through the channels of Australia, emitting an acrid stench of old-school fury through the trio known as Hellbringer. Aptly named, the band plays a very ancient form of quick-paced thrash that calls upon Slayer, Venom, Hellhammer, and fellow countrymen Hobbs’ Angel of Death.

Has this style been done a thousand-and-one times since the recent revisiting of the genre? Yes. Does Hellbringer add a violent, yet relevant notch to it? Yes. With no hope of reinventing the phonograph, Hellbringer is an EP for the seriously ardent fans of the genre and not those that are overly critical of newer bands keeping it going. The very obvious Slayer worship is in place in “The Banished”, which is straight from the playbook of the California legends. In fact, I dare say Hellbringer sounds more like Slayer now than Slayer does, but none can deny the past of the originators of this caustic sound. One might also hear early Don Doty-era Dark Angel in “Screams from the Catacombs”, which is my favorite track on the EP. It is nice to see some bands keeping alive this little corner of the metal universe, however many liberties they invariably have to take along the way. I definitely hear other thrash legends like Destruction, Razor and early Exodus in the music, and I must say that I have heard some pretty bad thrash attempts in recent years, but Hellbringer is actually very good in representing the modern scene.     

The production and mix on the EP are pretty cause-and-effect in that the criminally under-produced sound from days past is certainly evident and possibly even purposely implemented. It’s not a detriment to the recording if it’s what you might anticipate going in, especially when you get to “Spawns of the Void” which is reminiscent of something right off Show No Mercy in both style, direction and performance, right down to the trite Schmier/Araya squeal here and there. Granted, Show No Mercy would win no awards for production, but it was hardly a basement black metal attempt. As I said, for the ultimate in thrash worship this is the newest band to take the mantle and run with it. If a nod to the past glories is what you’re looking for, then you can’t miss Hellbringer’s brand of it. The cover of Armored Angel’s “My Fist your Face” is flat out incredible as well.

You’re either going to love it for its updated version of the early 80’s era or you’ll dismiss it entirely as a work of pure imitation. My hope is that you’ll be able to look past it and get to the crux of the music and ability to perform said music, which is undeniably dated but still very good for the thrash genre. They are actually a great little band from down under.      

Release Date: February 20, 2011
Label: Iron Pegasus Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Intro
2.  Hellbringer
3.  The Banished
4.  The Rapture
5.  Spawns of the Void
6.  The Hammer
7.  Screams from the Catacombs
8.  My Fist Your Face
     (Armoured Angel cover)

Total playing time:  32:14

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Chris

March 25, 2011