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Rating:
6.5 |
Hellspawn - The Great Red Dragon
6 June 2012
01. The First Banner In The Fields Of Devil
02. Word Becomes Flesh
03. Hellspawn
04. Diabolic
05. The Great Red Dragon
06. Intro To The Revelation
07. Revelation Of The Great Red Dragon
08. The Dice Are Cast
09. The Greatest King Among Demons
10. An Obelisk Of The World
So it turns out there's another death metal band from Poland. They're called Hellspawn, and if you're looking for innovation or originality, you might as well just look anywhere else.
I'm not saying these guys are bad. I'm just saying that I took a two-hour break catching up with all the Jake & Amir episodes I stopped watching after I grew out of CollegeHumor rather than sit down and churn out this review. Turns out those two guys still aren't funny, but they do a great job at repeating a successful formula. And that's exactly what The Great Red Dragon is - a successful formula repeated on end. Take it or leave it, that's all you're going to get.
Find an online definition for death metal, give it the typical Polish characteristics, and there you have it. Throaty growls that are almost discernible, drums that are played at two speeds (not insanely fast, and not insanely slow), and guitar riffs that chug along in traditional death metal fashion with a couple brief solos here and there for good measure. The kind of old school vibe provides a somewhat "occult" atmosphere if that's even the right word, but it's still not enough to give this its own identity. You might as well blend Vader and Behemoth together (yet again) and you'll be listening to Hellspawn.
I'm not here to bash on the genre, or the country for that matter. But it's tiring listening to the same release time and time again. Something needs to change, either the scene itself needs to evolve, or bands need to start separating from each other and look within themselves for creative inspiration as opposed to simply chasing the likes of "the big two".
If you're looking for a "checks all the boxes" kind of release, well this certainly won't hurt. Especially if you're into that whole anti-Christian thing. Even the release date for this aims to appeal to a specific audience. These guys aren't a complete waste of time and they do know what they're doing... the problem is that I know what they're doing, too. And so does everyone else who has listened to this.
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Performance:
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8 |
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Songwriting:
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7 |
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Originality:
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4 |
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Production:
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8 |
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Written on 08.07.2012 by
Troy Killjoy
A Metal Storm Staff member and official reviewer since 2011, Troy is well-trained in the art of black metal and mockery.
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Users visited:
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*in voice of Tank from Madtv*
PAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! |
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"I'm not here to bash on the genre, or the country for that matter. But it's tiring listening to the same release time and time again. Something needs to change, either the scene itself needs to evolve, or bands need to start separating from each other and look within themselves for creative inspiration as opposed to simply chasing the likes of "the big two".
Don't look for originality in Death Metal. The genre is way too trapped in its own rules to allow originality. |
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Written by RavenKing on 12.07.2012 at 01:02
Don't look for originality in Death Metal. The genre is way too trapped in its own rules to allow originality.
There are still some bands that at least manage to bring their own identity, and bands that incorporate progressive or experimental elements that help further push the traditional death metal sound. The problem is these bands are few and far between in a sea of copycats and revivalists. Although, I suppose the same can be said for a great deal of longstanding genres. |
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Written by Troy Killjoy on 12.07.2012 at 16:21
Written by RavenKing on 12.07.2012 at 01:02
Don't look for originality in Death Metal. The genre is way too trapped in its own rules to allow originality.
There are still some bands that at least manage to bring their own identity, and bands that incorporate progressive or experimental elements that help further push the traditional death metal sound. The problem is these bands are few and far between in a sea of copycats and revivalists. Although, I suppose the same can be said for a great deal of longstanding genres.
True. |
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