By: Richard Maw
Album
Type: EP
Date
Released: 20/12/2012
Label: PATAC
Records
The
whole thing works superbly well and comes from a band backed up by three
decades of history. If you have an interest in the heavy, odd, forward thinking
or music with a split personality- check this out. Fantastic stuff.
‘Sons
of Bitches’ EP track Listing
1) Arcadia
2) Sons of Bitches
3) System Whore
4) We Had Evidence
5) Throw The Petrol Bomb
Hellbastard
is
Malcolm
"Scruff" Lewty | Vocals, Guitars
Tom McCombe | Guitars
Paul O'Shea | Bass
Guitars
Josh "Buda"
Harris | Drums
The
Review
The John Peel endorsed Hellbastard
are truly in a class of their own. You can't categorise it, other than to say
it is a mixture of, amongst others: thrash, crust, punk and hardcore.
This five track EP kicks
things off with “Arcadia”. No death growls
here- hardcore-ish vocals, lyrics about real things and a rhythmical approach
make this opener grab the listener's attention. A killer riff snakes in at the
4 min mark, but the track will have made its mark on you by then. The production
is clean and bright- if you didn't know; you could be forgiven for thinking
that this was a brand new ground breaking band.
The title track gives us
an almost death type riff to start but then the track grooves like American
hardcore, the temp changes upwards the lyrics are full of vitriol- what is not
to like here?! “System Whore” boasts
a raging opening riff with an early lead break to keep you off balance. There
are even echoes of, dare I suggest it, Cronos in the vocal approach here.
Workplace/white collar sellouts seems to be the theme on this track, samples
drop in an out and then, astonishingly, a mellow kind of proggy (?) section
comes in just before the four minute mark to close out the track.
“We had Evidence” starts
melodically but this vibe is replaced at 2.20 or so by a truly frenetic riff. A
half time groove then jumps in and the vocals begin in earnest. There is even a
Slayer
type riff a little later to give us something to think about. Winston Churchill
is sampled to great effect as the song reaches its rather unpredictable
conclusion. “Throw The Petrol Bomb” is a reggae dub type track that
will give all you budding and even seasoned anarchists something to think about
and marks an interesting conclusion to this rather schizophrenic EP.
The whole thing works
superbly well and comes from a band backed up by three decades of history. If
you have an interest in the heavy, odd, forward thinking or music with a split
personality- check this out. Fantastic stuff.
