Posted on: April 5, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hell Promise – Aim For Hell / 2006 Rocketstar / 10 Tracks / http://www.hellpromise.com / http://www.rocketstar.com / Reviewed 25 March 2006

“Chamber #5” is a great exemplary track for Hell Promise, as this confident track allows the band to showcase their hardcore sound, a sound that uses old Judas Priest and Maiden riffs (during tracks like “Brass Knuckle Nightmare”) to further their sound. The heavy double bass drums that make it onto practically every track on “Aim For Hell” are those necessary to cultivate the band’s distinct style. The vocal style that is prevalent during the disc shares a nice middle ground between the Cookie Monster type of vocals that dominate most of hardcore and the “normal”, lyric-forwarding style of most other sets of vocals.

The tracks on “Aim For Hell” are not those cultivated for radio play, as the general thought is that Hell Promise does not give much consideration to the delicate ears of their listeners. What distinguishes Hell Promise from the masses of other hardcore acts is that the band is firmly versed in the metal of a bygone era, instead of a blend of nineties metal and emo music. “Arsonist” is perhaps the track that best shows the metal leanings of Hell Promise, as everything down to the smallest, most minute matter has been modified to reflect an eighties thrash meets metal sound. The style may sound a little dated at first, but the band does an admirable job in keeping the arrangements different enough to allow listeners a handhold to allow further listening to the disc. Something that would help Hell Promise on “Aim For Hell” is a greater differentiation of the styles on “Aim For Hell”.

While there is great differentiation in the types of eighties metal that the band samples from, it begins to become apparent during a track like “Arsonist” that the band needs to change up a little more to keep individual interests from waning. At some point, individuals have to hear that Hell Promise is one of the most genuinely talented and technical bands currently out on the market. However, this victory will not bring Hell Promise all the way home; there needs to be a greater experimentation present on further discs to keep Hell Promise still salient and important in the scene. Still, this album is sold and will give listeners hours of joy, even if it does not always pop off the disc. Hell Promise may just be the most compelling purveyors of eighties metal in this new millennium; if this sounds appealing give the band a shot.

Top Tracks: Arsonist, Time Bomb

Rating: 5.1/10

[JMcQ]

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