Hell-Born - Hellblast

HELL-BORN - Hellblast (PAGAN Records / CONQUER - CD 2011)

Hell-Born was spawned in the mid 90's as a side project of Les and Baal, from Damnation and Behemoth. Soon after the debut EP “Hell-Born” (1996) was released the project was over, but it was resurrected five years later, now as a normal band and with new material. "Hellblast" contained five new tracks, but CD contains also the first EP, all together containing ten tracks and 45 minutes of music. And for me, this is a real gem of Polish extreme metal scene and one of the best releases for me. 

Especially the "Hellblast" EP is something great. With its black / thrash / death metal mixture, it is a fury unleashed with no remorse, pure savagery and great, beastly metal. The music lurks strongly into the 80's and 90's old school metal, but has something unique, which makes Hell-Born sound unlike any other band, to be honest. I love these vicious riffs, great aggressive feel and relentless sound. Music is quite memorable, it really sticks in your head, drilling holes with these razor sharp thrashing riffs, yet it is all soaked in the obscurity, with a straight forward, uncompromising feel and often fast paced sonic attack. Demonic vocals are especially something what stands out and I think that they're one of the main reasons why Hell-Born music really sounds so original. 

The 1996 "Hell-Born" EP may be slightly more challenging to some of you, as the production is rawer, more noisy and harsh. The music has that same attitude though, maybe it's even more old school oriented, more death metal like... You know, some riffs, like those in "Those are Dead but Shall Rise" do remind me Damnation - think what you want. The production is also quite alike to "Rebel Souls". But vocals can be something what will make the biggest controversy, as they do not sound like your typical growls or screams. They're more like very deeply speaking voice, which really has an eerie effect. I quite like it, there are some killer, memorable riffs on this EP... but “Hellblast” is my more preferred material on this CD and it’s also one of Hell-Born's best recordings. 

Standout tracks: “Raise the Dead”, “Hellraiser” 

Verdict: 75/100