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)
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