Hell – Human Remains (2011)

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After being kicked in the balls last year with the modern Heavy Metal classic “Blood of the Nations” by Accept, this year Hell and their debut album “Human Remains” will have the same effect on you. While Hell never had the popularity or acceptance of Accept and similar band, heck, they didn’t even release a full-length album back in their hay day, the band’s music quality is amazing and on this re-recording of their old demo stuff, you will notice this quality.

Featuring super talented guitarist/producer Andy Sneap taking on the guitar duties left vacant by the death of the original vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Dave Halliday. The band’s debut album (after 25 or so years) feature re-recordings of some of their older demo stuff, and by only enhancing bits and pieces of the songs, they still managed to deliver a very impressive release. Featuring a great 80’s vibe this music is what true Heavy Metal/ NWOBHM used to sound like, and we completely love it.

Just right after the instrumental (and momentum builder) “Overture Themes from Deathsquad”, the band explodes into full-on 80’s riffing mode with “On Earth as it is in Hell”. With this song, Hell quickly shows that they mean business and they are ready to blow you away. The guitars are excellent, the drumming is very well crafted and the vocals fit the overall mood very nicely. All these elements create a very powerful synergy and make this release sound outstanding.

Never sounding outdated, the band uses some keyboards for atmospheric elements and while they still have 80’s riffs, their overall sound is very fresh and dynamic. We can’t help but think that since these songs where written in the 80’s, maybe the world was not ready for them just yet. The melodic elements of songs like “The Oppressors” are a clear indication of how the band was pushing the walls of their genre(s) back in the 80’s and how Sabbath actually continued to do some of these things.

The occult and dark subject matters the band features on their lyrics, greatly add to the haunting atmosphere of tracks like “Blasphemy and the Master”. In majestic songs like “The Devils Deadly Weapon” we are treated to brilliant melodic sections with keyboard and amazing guitar solos and riffs. This is by far our favorite song of this release.

Overall, we think that Hell has release probably the best Heavy Metal album of 2011 with “Human Remains”. For a release that had to wait 25 years to happen, the band couldn’t have done it at a better time and with the backing of Andy Sneap. “Human Remains” is an album that will please people with a craving for 80’s guitar riffs and occult lyrics, but that also want modern production values and a fresh and dynamic sounding release.

Band: Hell Album: Human Remains
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: May 17th, 2011

Oficial Site myspace
Genre: Heavy Metal / NWOBHM

Country: UK

Rating: 91/100
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