ALBUM REVIEW: Pitch Black Sunset – The Hellfreaks
Ever since they formed in 2009, THE HELLFREAKS have been proving that post-hardcore, metal, and punk can blend together. Their discography has been fascinating throughout their career, and they were definitely mixing genres way before it became mainstream. The Hungarian band are best known for their 2005 hit song, Boogie Man, which is a mix of psychobilly and punk. Now, with their fifth album, Pitch Black Sun, can the band showcase that they are still unique?
Sunrise is a short intro piece that opens the album, filled with electronic beats and hardcore screams before descending into silence. If you thought the next song, Old Tomorrow, would be a slow song, you’re surely mistaken. THE HELLFREAKS are not playing around. Lead singer Zsuzsa Radnóti, better known as Shakey Sue, captures your full attention with her fantastic voice, whether she is screaming or singing.
Guitarist Jozzy and bassist Gabi Domján bring their A-game too, especially on songs such as the haunting Hit Me Where It Hurts. However, it’s drummer Béla Budai who is the star. Whilst his drumming can be easy to miss sometimes due to the mixing, it really comes into its own on songs such as Chaos, a hardcore punk song that shows no mercy on the senses. The short runtime actually does the song a favour as it emphasises the frantic energy.
On the other hand, there are tracks such as Weeping Willow, a haunting rock song that lures you in gently with the soft rock instruments before transitioning into a calming electronic rock track. This might seem out of place on any other record; however, here it offers a palate cleanser on an album that has been full of hyper energy so far. For those who miss the screaming, do not worry. The song builds up to an excellent ending, showcasing that the band are not just stuck in a couple of genres.
In fact, that is the best thing about this album. Everything feels natural, whether THE HELLFREAKS are playing with nu-metal, electronica, rock or hardcore punk. The band themselves are at the top of their game, and they’re clearly having a lot of fun. The energy oozes out of your speakers on songs such as Body Bag or Rootless Soul Riot. Across the nine tracks, no matter what genre of music you’re into, there is something for everyone on here.
Despite the vast majority of the songs being at breakneck speed, the overall pacing of the album isn’t affected. Each song has room to breathe as it allows you to take them all in individually. Even the shorter songs have this breathing room, which is the most important thing as shorter songs do have a habit of getting forgotten about because of their runtimes. The closing track Sunset epitomises this. It is strongly reminiscent of the opening song, with its electronic-laced rock; however, unlike the opening song, it’s entirely instrumental. But it is a gorgeously produced song with stunning attention to detail, and it acts like the closing credits to the album.
Overall, Pitch Black Sunset has a deserved place in THE HELLFREAKS‘ discography. It expertly blends a wide variety of genres together to craft a pitch-perfect album full of twists and turns. The production of the album means that all the songs have room to be appreciated, and even the shorter songs get their moment in the spotlight. Despite there only being nine songs, this album is the definition of quality over quantity, and is one that will be treasured by fans both old and new. It is the quintessential THE HELLFREAKS album, and one that proves that the band are at their very best.
Rating: 9/10
Pitch Black Sunset is set for release on April 14th via Napalm Records.
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