Hellhound – Nothing Left

[nyrating]

27th April 2016 Reinier de Vries Album Reviews 0

There are a few more bands with the same name, but this one was the first and have the oldest rights. Formed in 1982, and active on the San Francisco Bay Area club circuit from 1984 – 1988, HellHound shared stages with Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Death Angel and Forbidden. Despite releasing two well-received demos and attracting a fair amount of attention, these melodic thrash metallers disbanded before reaching their full potential.

In the years that followed, the band achieved cult status amongst the legions of underground metal fans, which lead to the release of their demos on CD by High Vaultage Records in 1998. Interest remained strong during the next decade, as a new generation of old school metal fans were exposed to HellHound via the Internet. In 2008 Stormspell released their demos together with a DVD of a 1987 tv appearance. In 2010 the band recorded a demo with 4 new songs which are on this new album (track 2,3,7 and 9).

I am glad the band decided to re-record the songs and not just release old versions again. It sounds a lot better than some songs you can find on You Tube, I never have the idea that I listen to material written in the eighties. Real fans will already know the last 2 tracks from their 1984 demo. Todays versions sound very good and I’m sure that back in the early eighties the band stood on the same level as Forbidden, Testament, Heathen, Flotsam and Jetsam and Death Angel. They were at the right place at the right time, but somehow never made it.

The music is speed/thrash Bay Area style all the way and the voice of Joe Liszt has the typical raw thrash sound needed. The galopping riffs are very addictive and together with the hammering drums and howling guitar solos on a bed of melody, excellent stuff. Just close your eyes and the Bay Area is closer than you think. My favorite track is “Beyond Time and Space”, it contains one of the best galopping riffs.

Speed and thrash fans need to give this album and band a chance, they were already there when it all started for the big four and perhaps it is time to give them some credits for that!

Tracklist:

01. Red Sun, Black Sand
02. The Bleeding Edge
03. Circle Of Trust
04. Hollow Faith
05. Dark Discovery
06. Blood Feud
07. As the Needle Drips
08. Beyond Time and Space
09. Killing Spree

Playing time: 43:00

Release date: 29 April 2016

Label: Stormspell Records

Website: https://www.facebook.com/HellHound-USA-118853527917/

About Reinier de Vries 188 Articles

Once a metal head, always a metalhead. My parents thought it would only be a period, but they were wrong. I quit to explain the beauty of metal music to others that are not into metal, because it is something you can't tell in words... It is like explaining to a teetotaller why a cold beer is so nice on a hot day... I started with bands like Accept, Metal Church, Iron Maiden and Metallica in the eighties and I think I will still listen to them when I'm stone deaf and old...