EP REVIEW: Holy Sadist – Hellbore
We are now truly living in the golden age of the Internet. Although there are many people who see the increased levels of streaming as another nail in the coffin of the music industry, there are many who have taken advantage of this avenue and have been able to reach across the world with greater ease than ever before. There has also been an increase in the amount of bands that have been able to form over the internet, a feat that would have seen almost unimaginable not too long ago. One such band is HELLBORE. The group consists of UK based multi-instrumentalist Charlie Munro and US based vocalist Chris Whitby. November of last year saw the duo gear up to release their debut extended play entitled Holy Sadist and are looking to take the metal world by storm.
The first real taste of music comes from the track Convert, Kill, Subjugate which flies off at one hundred miles per hour in a whirlwind of pulverising drum beats, technically impressive guitar riffs and jarring rhythms. The structure of the song is all over the place and rarely settles throughout. However, this is by no means a criticism as it adds to the overall feel of danger and excitement on the track. Thankfully, the vocal range of Whitby is more than up to the task of matching the schizophrenic nature of Munro‘s instrumental songwriting.
The following track Dull Your Mind And Sharpen Your Steel is a different animal entirely. Swapping the constant stylist shifts for a straight firing death metal song to devastating effect. It’s vocals of Whitby are at their best when they are in the lower end of his range and sit perfectly on top of the low tuned, brutal guitar tone. The well written tremolo picking sections combined with the high speed drum work make for superb headbanging material and the shrieking, lightning fast guitar solo sounds like it could have come from the fretboard of Hanneman or King themselves.
The opening guitar work on Mechanical Messiah sounds like something straight out of a technical death metal album. The tone is crushing and the nix is just right, allowing all of the instruments the chance to breathe and have their own space, which is a common hole that many modern heavy bands fall in to. This track is arguably the heaviest on the release and really shows the pair at the best with the seamless shifts between the segments and subtle stylistic shifts, including a number of well written guitar solos and a crushing finale to the song, ensuring that there is no reprieve for its entire duration.
Holy Sadist is the perfect example of what can be achieved when two talented, like-minded musicians come together with a common goal no matter the distance between them physically, the modern era of technology has allowed a brilliant work of art to come to fruition. The only downfall of this release its duration, with only five full length tracks on display here it leaves the listener wanting more. Hopefully there is plenty to come from HELLBORE in the very near future.
Rating: 8/10
Holy Sadist is out now via self-release.
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