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Helstar: This wicked nest
17/05/14 || gk
Formed back in 1981, Helstar released 4 really solid speed/ heavy metal records through the mid and late 80s that were of a consistently high quality and led by the talented and charismatic James Rivera on vocals. After a long period of inactivity, the band reformed it’s classic “Remnants of war” line up in 2006 and returned to the fray with a slightly more modern power metal edge to their attack.
2014 sees the band return with their latest and 9th album overall and this continues the sound displayed on the last few albums. Album opener Fall of dominion kicks things off nicely with a catchy chorus and an impeccable performance from Rivera. “Eternal black” has plenty of modern thrash riffing with Rivera’s soaring vocals lifting the song up.
Elsewhere on the album, Rivera sounds absolutely maniacal on the title track and lifts what is a pretty generic song with his passionate delivery. “Cursed” slows things down and weaves its way through 7 minutes of dark balladry and some great guitar playing from Rob Trevino and Larry Barragan while “It has risen” and “Defy the swarm” return to the modern quasi-thrash sound that the band has been plying since their return. Luckily, the album ends on a strong note with “Magormissabib” which is catchy in a 80s speed metal kind of way and the female vocals that end the song on a vaguely eastern note add a nice and slightly different layer.
Helstar’s sound on “This wicked nest” is a continuation of what they’ve done since their 2007 comeback. Thankfully the shiny, over produced sound of the last couple of albums has been toned down just a bit and this album has a bit more bite and attitude as a result. James Rivera is a great heavy metal vocalist and his performance on this album is one of the main reasons to give this a listen. Guitarists Trevino and Barragan are in decent form and the lead guitar spots are quite good. Still, having said that, there is sameness to a lot of these songs and the riffs often sound inter changeable and sometimes just slip into the background.
“This wicked nest” doesn’t hold a candle to their classic 80s material but is still probably the best that Helstar has been since coming back at fans of the band will no doubt find plenty to like here. Rivera’s reputation as one of heavy metal’s finest singers is safe on the basis of his performance here and there are enough quality songs to keep the faithful happy. Worth checking out if you’ve ever been a fan of the band but if quasi-thrash metal with a slightly modern edge isn’t your cup of tea then “This wicked nest” has little to offer.
- Information
- Released: 2014
- Label: AFM Records
- Website: Helstar Facebook
- Band
- James Rivera: vocals
- Larry Barragan: guitars
- Robert Trevino: guitars
- Matej Susnik : bass
- Michael Lewis: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Fall of Dominion
- 02. Eternal Black
- 03. This Wicked Nest
- 04. Souls Cry
- 05. Isla de las Munecas
- 06. Cursed
- 07. It Has Risen
- 08. Defy the Swarm
- 09. Magormissabib
