By DJ Monk
It’s not often that a band introduces themselves by saying farewell, but that is exactly what German acoustic metal trio Hellride have done with this, their second and final album. Hang on a minute… did we just say “acoustic metal”? Yes, indeed we did… Now, we’re used to metal bands doing acoustic versions of their songs, but for a band to devote their entire career to presenting the genre in a non-electric form has to be a somewhat unusual proposition – but that is exactly what Hellride have done during their brief career…
Now, I say brief, but the band actually been kicking around for a decade now: however, in that period, they have previously released just the one album, the appropriately titled ‘Acousticalized’, back in 2013. The trio have cited “time-related and logistic reasons” for being unable to build on the momentum that release created but continued to work away in the background before finally deciding to call it quits. And so it is that Über Rock finds ourselves in the unusual position of discovering a “new” band, at least to us, just as the curtain comes down on their career.
Now, if the fact that this is acoustic-based makes you immediately think that it ain’t gonna be heavy, then wipe that thought from your cranial archive as soon as feckin’ possible and wash you brain cells out with a very expensive bottle of sanitizer… ‘cos Hellride live up to what could be seen as a misnomer of a monicker by delivering a sound that is as, well, heavy as hell, especially in the vocal department. In fact, ‘Goodbyes…’ is in many ways redolent of perhaps the most infamous purveyor of “acoustic metal”, Zakk Wylde, delivering plenty of aggressive attitude which belies the “unplugged” nature of the performances.
I’ve just specifically singled out the vocal performance, and this is because that of Tom Klossek is exemplary: deep, rich and hugely evocative, mellifluous and melodious but at the same time angry and spiteful, drawing deep on the well from which all great singers must quaff in order to convince their listener that they genuinely believe in what they are doing and mean what they are singing. Klossek ticks both those boxes with alacrity and graceful ease.
That’s not to say that the two guitarists, Kai Passemann and Stefan Gassner, are any slouches: far from it. Their tones are rich and vibrant, displaying a power that at times makes you forget they are actually playing acoustically, resulting in an album that, by and large, stands proudly shoulder to shoulder with a lot of fully-electric offerings you’ll hear at this or any other time.
Yes, there are a few twee moments, such as the faux-hippy/psyche trauma of ‘3030’ and the needless cover of Rod Stewart’s dreadful ‘Young Turks’, but, elsewhere, standout moments such as the doomy ‘The Misanthrope’, the acidic anti-ballad ‘Don’t Hurt What You Can’t Kill’ and the gloriously self-deprecating ‘Metal This Is Not’ help you look past such discrepancies.
- ‘Goodbyes To Forever’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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