Hell - Curse & Chapter

Published December 05 2013

*=Staff's pick	Gehennae Incendis The Age Of Nefarious The Disposer Supreme Darkhangel* Harbinger Of Death End Ov Days* Deathsquad Something Wicked This Way Comes Faith Will Fail* Land Of The Living Dead Deliver Us From Evil A Vespertine Legacy

Genre	Heavy Metal	David Bower	Vocals
Tracks	12	Kev Bower	Guitar
Running time	60 Min.	Andy Sneap	Guitar
Label	Nuclear Blast	Tony Speakman	Bass
Release	22 November 2013	Tim Bowler	Drums
Country	England	Kev Bower	Keyboard
Producer	Andy Sneap
Similar artists	---

Hell, the mythical brits with a tough, motley history. The long awaited and highly demanded debut album, 2011's Human Remains, was re-recorded and released with reportedly minor re-arrangements some twenty-five years past the original tapes. With second effort, Curse & Chapter, the band has once again risen from the ashes and has stated that about half of the record contains newly written material and the rest have been found somewhere deep in the vaults.

What strikes me initially is that this statement must be somewhat valid and truthful. Hell plays its own type of heavy metal, making it seem like a compound of new and old simultaneously when axing the path with attacking heavy riffs and many cool guitar plays, backed with an epic and dark appearance that makes the bones chill. Lead vocalist, David Bower, sings as intense as he did on the debut, although his efforts now are a bit more straightforward occasionally and his theatrical approach is not equally exposed. Make no mistake, the frontman's typical style is still present, just partially dimmed to a different and more modest degree.

I find it rather strange that this album was just as good during my initial spin as it is now when I immerse myself in the product for somewhere around the twentieth time. To me that speaks of quality and differences to the norms. If you're unaccustomed with this band, I suggest that you give them a shot. You might like it, because this is rather different, yet definitely within the heavy metal margins, but with an exclusive swing that I find rather original, although the band doesn't break any new ground with this release, due to the resemblances to its predecessor.

See also review of: Human Remains
See also: interview with Kev Bower

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	9	7	8	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Tobbe