Review Summary: Heavy metal pantomime
Hell took nearly 30 years to become as popular as they deserved to be when they formed in the mid 80’s. At that time, their inevitable success was thwarted by a record label that went bankrupt days after the band begun to record the album. This turn of events led to Kevin Bower (guitarist) quitting and the consequent disbandment of Hell, ultimately leading to the suicide of their original vocalist, Dave Halliday.
And so, the story goes that in 2011, the stone was rolled away from the tomb but Hell was not to be found. Lo! The fading memory had been resurrected into new, physical reformation of Hell. With original members, Kevin Bower, Tim Bowler (drums) and Tony Speakman (bass) back in the fold, producer wizard Andy Sneap was recruited into the ranks while Kevin’s brother, David Bower, took up vocal duties.
“Human Remains” was met with deserved critical acclaim and a meagre two years later, Hell released their second album,
“Curse & Chapter” .
Although this is the second album under the Hell title, it was the first new music that Hell recorded since their resurrection; most of
“Human Remains” was comprised of tracks from the unreleased album back in the 80’s. Nevertheless,
“Curse & Chapter” continued to supply everything your average metal fan could want from a metal band both in the studio and on stage. (Seriously, their live shows are incredible.) Literally every stereotype of traditional metal is unearthed on this album including, but not limited to theatricality, occultism, technicality, melody and aggression. All these aspects are combined with crisp clarity due to Andy Sneap’s magickal production wizardry which really enhances Hell’s extravagant nature and cohesive showmanship.
Drawing from a NWOBHM influence,
“Curse & Chapter” is full of speedy riffs and galloping rhythm sections. ‘Harbringer of Death’, ‘End ov Days’ and ‘The Disposer Supreme’ all feature hard-hitting acrobatic riff patterns while ‘Land of the Living Dead’ is straightforward power metal, circulating around a simple marching riff and some believe-in-yourself lyricism stirred into the cauldron. Hell perform these songs with all the youthfulness of bands that are half their age and it is evident that the retro feel
“Curse & Chapter” has is purely down to each member’s experience.
Theatricality is a crucial aspect of Hell’s persona. As a television actor, David Bower’s vocal performance is accordingly expressive. His anthemic vocals range from operatic highs to dominant snarls during ‘The Age of Nefarious’ and the lyrics throughout the album have a Shakespearean poetic rhythm. Despite the soliloquies and narrative intersections in ‘Darkangel’ and ‘Deliver us From Evil’, his performance never seems rambunctious and perfectly suits the blasphemous themes that Hell incorporate. It’s so refreshing to hear a singer in metal who puts so much animation into his singing to befit a genre notorious for its energetic reputation.
There are so many praise-worthy characteristics to
“Curse & Chapter” that are exposed after multiple spins that it’s challenging to find anything unappealing other than it lacks the immediate appeal that
“Human Remains” had. Some songs could certainly be trimmed by dropping certain bits of extended drama during the songs, and if you’re not a fan of higher pitched vocals similar to Rob Halford and King Diamond then David Bower’s eccentricities may have to grow on you. Nonetheless, listening to
“Curse & Chapter” is still a spellbinding masquerade of magick, mysticism and metal.
