Horror Pain Gore Death Productions never slows down. Ever. Even when they're in the midst of releasing something, they're in the midst of releasing something else.
But when one is dealing with bands like Hell Bent, one has to charge onwards like a bullet train on cocaine. Hell Bent is one of HPGD's latest additions and one of their most fierce. Here with their debut Apocalyptic Lamentations. It's a most fitting title to an album that sounds like it is setting the world on fire one tasty riff at a time.
Apocalyptic Lamentations is a slaughterfest. Nine slices of old school thrash/grind/d-beat that never let up for a second. When "Welcome to The Dirt" opens easily enough with a slower riff but then picks up and gets thrashing real quick. If it sounds like 80s crossover is bashing in your eardrums, well, it is.
Hell Bent is comprised of members from Dropdead, Ulcer, Neon Bitches, Paindriver and more. And they write this stuff like it was meant to be played: raw, ugly, punk and fast as hell. Tracks like "Oppression, Enslavement, Coercion" almost breach grindcore levels of speed, but remain thrash. "Sycthian Horde" plays similar and real brings out the blast in the band. The track is explosive at times and almost tame at others. Almost.
Others like "Prey For War" are as punk as they come. Short, fast loud, to the point and little filler. Under two-minutes and utterly destructive. "Cerberus Unbound" plays a similar style but hangs on the thrashier side. Still punishing the listener with speed.
Hell Bent take the record home with a cover of Znöwhite's "Sledgehammer." A most fitting exit because Hell Bent sounds a lot like Znöwhite. Regardless, if you like thrash, d-beat, crossover, hardcore, grind or any kind of fast metal, then Apocalyptic Lamentations is straight up your alley. Start to finish, this is a pure banger, tried and true. Thrash the day away with the premiere of Apocalyptic Lamentations.
