HELSTAR – “GLORY OF CHAOS”
AFM RECORDS (2010)
The story of the Texan Speed Metal quintet Helstar started back in 1981 when vocalist extraordinaire James Rivera met up for the first time with guitarist Larry Barragan. What happened after that first meeting took place is pretty much known to most fans of extreme metal music; Helstar went on to recording three very impressive releases, culminating in the technical Thrash Metal monster “Nosferatu” – an album that, to this date, is treated by the band’s loyal fans as their magnum opus. The fact that Helstar never managed to reach the same levels of commercial success as their old label mates Megadeth or Exodus did all those years ago is something that many people, myself included, never managed to understand. Rather than lamenting past opportunities, however, one ought to strive for the future, so the main question here is whether the band’s latest studio release “Glory Of Chaos” will eventually manage to change the way the band is perceived and treated by fans and media alike.
The first few things that you notice when listening to the album for the first time is the quality and depth of the sound, as well as the fact that the ten compositions on “Glory Of Chaos” are much heavier and more straight forward than those created by the band in past years. The music of Helstar has always been about establishing a healthy relationship between ‘the riff’ and James’s trademark vocals; something that continues to be the case to this day. What these noisy Texans have managed to achieve, to their credit, is to re-invent themselves as a modern sounding band whose overall approach is heavier than that which most of their fans would expect. Is that a good thing? Of course it is, when you know that there are hundreds of young bands out there anxiously waiting for you to make the wrong move so as to take advantage of the situation and also when you know that by being bolder and more adventurous you enable a singer as gifted as James Rivera to reach his full vocal potential.
The album kicks off with a mid tempo Thrasher, “Angels Fall To Hell”, a composition that you will warm to in no time as its main riff and refrain are pretty memorable indeed. Those of you who love Exodus will detect many such influences in “Pandemonium”, a song that features one of the best and most memorable refrains of the album. The two compositions that follow, namely “Monarch Of Bloodshed” and “Bone Crusher”, consist of pretty straight forward and enjoyable Thrash tunes, but it is only really when the haunting melodies of “Summer Of Hate” first appear that you realise that you are in the presence of a classic. “Deathtrap” is another up-tempo Exodus-influenced song, whereas “Anger” comes across as a far more classic Thrash opus as a result of the use of band vocals in its catchy chorus. Another song that made a massive impression on me was the rhythmical riff-orientated monster “Trinity Of Heresy” – a song whose refrain contains some of the most epic sounding lyrics of the album. In “Alma Negra” James Rivera, much to my surprise, goes all-brutal but this ends us serving in the composition’s best interests and “Zero One” provides an unusual acoustic/harmonic ending to this impressive release.
I have always respected Helstar for the quality of their music and their contribution to Metal over the years, however, all that would not have been enough to enable me to continue supporting them, had this album been below acceptable standards. What I am really chuffed about, though, is the fact that Helstar have managed to release an album that not only did I manage to relate to after only a couple of spins, but also one that I am genuinely excited about. Will “Glory Of Chaos” manage to elevate the band to the status that they ought to have reached much earlier in their career? Knowing how the music industry works, I have my doubts that this is feasible;. What I do know, however, is that this is a release that will be cherished by fans of Speed/Thrash Metal and one that certainly deserves to feature the logo of this legendary band on its front cover.
John Stefanis
Rating: **** (4.0/5.0)
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
