Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2024 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
April 2024
- War Grave: War Grave EP
- Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
- Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
- Praying Mantis: Defiance
- King Zebra: Between The Shadows
- About Us: Take A Piece
- Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories
March 2024
- Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
- Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
- The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
- Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
- Lipz: Changing The Melody
- The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
- Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
- Turbulence: Binary Dream
- Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
- D'Luna: Monster
- Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
- Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help
February 2024
- Traveler: Prequel To Madness
- Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
- Honeymoon Suite: Alive
- Durbin: Screaming Steel
- Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
- Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
- Striker: Ultrapower
- Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
- Robert Hart: Circus Life
January 2024
- Corvus: Immortals
- Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
- Grand: Second To None
- Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
- The Rods: Rattle The Cage
- Gotus: Gotus
- Metalite: Expedition One
- Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
- Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
- Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
- The Grandmaster: Black Sun
Helstar: This Wicked Nest
Helstar: This Wicked Nest
Heavy/Power/Thrash Metal
3.0/5.0
Website
Facebook
AFM Records
Words by Craig Hartranft, 24.04.2014
This year is another milestone for the legendary Texas metal band Helstar. Thirty years ago they released their first album, Burning Star. To celebrate, on the tour in support of This Wicked Nest, their eighth studio album, Helstar will perform songs from that classic album.
Helstar: in the flames of Hel.
As for This Wicked Nest, it's basically The Glory of Chaos Part 2. That album was heavy and basically raging from start to finish. Ditto for this one. Helstar throws classic heavy, speed, and thrash metal into their blender pours out true Texas power metal. Get you earplugs because the rhythm section is thundering, the twin guitars blistering. Solos fly with technical thrills, and are likely the best part of the tunes.
Along the way, all this, especially the barrage of twin guitar riffage, basically crushes James Rivera's vocals. Either he didn't bring his A-game, getting weak in his middle age, or somebody didn't twist the knobs correctly. On Isla De Las Munecas (Island of the Dolls), his vocals are completely silenced. Just kidding. It's a metal instrumental. You actually do her him quite clearly in the opening moments of Cursed, but that's your best case scenario. It all seems rather strange, since Bill Lionel has always been considered one of the notable vocalists of American heavy metal. Nevertheless, if you've liked recent Helstar activity of blistering and raging, ice pick to the eardrums, sledgehammer to the skull, American thrash power metal, you'll probably like This Wicked Nest.
Helstar - Fall of Dominion
Tweet
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
In Short
If you've liked recent Helstar activity of blistering and raging, ice pick to the eardrums, sledgehammer to the skull, American thrash power metal, you'll probably like This Wicked Nest.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]