HELLSCREAM – Hate Machine

“Hellscream is the unholy metal alliance of guitarist David Garcia (Cage\Three Tremors) & vocalist Norman Skinner (Imagika\Niviane\Skinner).”  The band’s sophomore album, Hate Machine, is “for fans of true heavy metal..in the vein of Cage, ASKA and Iced Earth”.  They believe it faster and stronger than their 2014 debut Made Immortal. While it may be faster and stronger than their debut, similar production problems remain.

“There Will Be Blood” and “Fire Starter” make immediate aggressive statements. Powerful vocals alternating between harsh and clear, and the churning menace of twin guitars combine lyrical and musical hooks to warrant repeat listens.  The same quality isn’t reached again until “Blood Rite” near the end of the album. The rest of the songs are average and highlight unsettling production patterns.

Listeners notice the drum sound is far too bright.  They sparkle with high end energy and occupy a sonic wavelength of their own.  In short, they aren’t “mixed”. The bass and rhythm guitars are forced to carry the low end alone.  The vocals and drums are loaded hot and center often overwhelming the guitars and bass. Many songs are so filled with lyrics delivered in overlapping and varying styles, it is difficult to connect with the musical whole.

With the exception of the album highlights, nobody has time for an album mixed this poorly.  There’s too much properly produced music to waste bandwidth trying to decipher the essence of this album.  Hellscream prove they can write and perform but Hate Machine doesn’t show it.

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TRACKLIST (Highlights: 1, 2, 10)

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Firestarter
3. Weight Of The World
4. Oubliette
5. Zero Recall
6. Slaves Of The Sand
7. Hate Machine
8. Another Angel Down
9. Payback!
10. Blood Rite
11. Wake The Demon
12. Generation Kill Total

Playing Time: 48:48 min

LINEUP

Norman Skinner – vocals
David Garcia – guitars
Alex Pickard – bass
Casey Trask – guitars
Sean Elg – drums