Hellpass – Gates Of War
HELLPASS – album ‘“Gates Of War” (February 2023)
- Gate
- Alter Nation
- Gates Of War
- Fallen (Hero)
- Light in the Dark
- Fade Away
- Futura
- Oath to the Metal Gods
- Burning Flags
Hellpass is heavy metal band from Thessaloniki, Greece, that recently released its debut full-length work, “Gates of War”. The newly founded band shows both a clear vision for their sound and the knowledge and ability to implement this. Τhe “Gates of War” is unleashed with a solid sound ,delivering an exciting and fresh sounding final product of sheer heavy metal power.
While Hellpass are still in their debut phase and have their influences quite untamed, everything is finely tuned in the “Gates of War” that offers a great listening experience. The sound never feels like a rip off or an uninspired effort for imitation, but it has its own distinct features that will become their sound, as the band progresses and develops.
Lyrically and conceptually the “Gates of War” is inspired by the worldwide crisis and events of these past years. In their debut, the Hellpass express and write about the hardships and difficulties of recent times.
The “Gates of War” kicks in with the song “Alter Nation”. The doom influences are shown prominently and are blended with the heavy metal core of the band, and an absolutely heavy and epic track is created with a gritty and sharp-edged sound. While the doomish inspired riffs and ideas take a big part of the album’s sound and are present in the foreground, the thrash ideas rise giving some of the album’s best songs, like the “Futura”, which sounds inspired by the U.S school of sound, with a grittier, thrashy heavy metal sound, fast-paced and riff oriented.
In the song “Light in the Dark”, Hellpass show a different heavy metal profile, more European-like. Epic and heavy, the “Light in the Dark” shows some N.W.O.B.H.M influences, and particularly something inspired by the Pagan Altar whose pagan style and distinct vocal lines seem to have influenced Hellpass in this particular song.
The “Gates of War” closes with the song “Burning Flags” that sums up wonderfully the album. With the introduction of some acoustic and melodic parts that slow the pace as the albums comes to an end, the “Burning Flags” is an epic heavy metal track that comes to conclude the album in Cirith Ungol fashion.
Review by Mr Athens 79
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Band/Artist location – Thessaloniki, Greece
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