Review Summary: "HB’s "Frozen Inside" gives a glimmer of hope to the symphonic metal scene with their perfect execution and compelling authority."
At first glance it looks like HB is your typical female-fronted metal band, and the funny thing is, that’s exactly what they are. HB is a symphonic metal band in the lines of Delain and Within Temptation (although I scoff when people call Within Temptation a metal band), and it’s definitely not a stretch to say that they fit very well into the genre. Partial to daringly heavy guitars, the band takes their mainstream melodies and makes them engaging in a way that is astounding. When the songs need bombast they turn up the distortion, and strangely, the guitars actually sound great. It seems an odd thing to mention, but I find that a great many metal bands get awful tones from their guitars when they add more distortion. HB, however, have an absolutely crystal clear sound due to production efficiencies. The volume levels are perfect, the distortion levels are perfect, the album is perfectly recorded – definitely a pleasant bonus.
This is the part where I mention that HB is a Christian band, and it’s fairly obvious from everything they do – this is a good thing. While a ridiculous amount of popular Christian rock bands sing songs comparing God to drugs (examples: Skillet’s ‘Better Than Drugs’, Thousand Foot Krutch’s ‘New Drug’, and Fireflight’s ‘Core of My Addiction’), HB actually directly praise God, and they do it with conviction. This, of course, will turn off quite a few people, but it is still incredibly refreshing to hear a Christian band actually sounding like a Christian band, and in a metal band no less! If there ever was an argument that metal is a satanic genre, this band basically renders the argument obsolete. The power behind their music is utterly persuasive, and they play with authority while loudly proclaiming their message with vigor. It’s no wonder why they named their band HB (short for Holy Bible).
Unlike oh so many symphonic metal bands, this band actually puts care into the symphonic aspect. The instruments do not simply act as extra guitars and randomly burst out with no due attention, they instead show clever usage. Not simply background noise, they directly intertwine with the feeling and the melodies of songs, and also play an active part in the progression of songs. The orchestration has a mind of its own, but that mind is connected to a greater mind, and so one could call the relationship between the symphony and the rest of the band symbiotic.
Ultimately, HB is still your typical symphonic metal band. They have your typical stadium shaking choruses that are repeated too much, and they also get a bit soft sometimes. The only real difference between this band and similar bands is that this one has gumption. Present in their music is a commanding force that propels their relatively mainstream/typical music to massive proportions. HB’s
Frozen Inside gives a glimmer of hope to the symphonic metal scene with their perfect execution and compelling authority.
