Hell Fire is a thrash metal/NWOBHM band from the USA formed in 2010 self released their debut album ‘Metal Masses’ in 2016.
For fans of Iron Maiden, Accept, and Metallica, the NWOBHM, German-style power metal, and thrash metal…‘Metal Masses’ is an essential addition to your collection. Don’t let the mellow intro ‘Prelude’ put you off, ‘Metal Masses’ is a breathtaking and exhilarating album. From the moment that ‘Lightning Axes’ thunders in and rockets off at pace, you know this is gonna be a head-bangingly exciting album. The twin guitar attack and the adrenaline-pumping pace are superb and will have your necks flexing further and faster than ever before as you try and keep up with the blistering pace.
The pace gets even quicker as ‘Sirens Of The Hunter’ hits the airwaves with full-on ferociousness and is as aggressive as it is rampant. Is Hell Fire a retro band? Maybe, maybe not…but whatever they label themselves as, who really cares when the music is this good! The album cover is a picture of the classic and very much heavy metal-associated Flying V style guitar and the color theme reminds me of the ‘Kill ‘Em All’ cover by Metallica .
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‘Into The Light’ introduces a more melodic feel to proceedings, but remains as heavy as hell. ‘Into The Light’ has an infectious and catchy chorus break, yet the hard-hitting and punchy rhythms pound relentlessly at the senses. With no let-up for a breather, the album races on in the shape of ‘Night Terror’, with some of the best guitar work on the album. ‘Night Terror’ sets an electrifying pace as it races on and on, taking no prisoners, leaving the faint of heart in its wake. ‘Islands Of Hell’ is a seven-minute plus epic, very much in the vein of the epics that British stalwarts Iron Maiden are famous for. A slower tempo, the melodic intro gives way to a high-paced, galloping, and rampantly furious song.
The purchase price of the album is worth it just for ‘Islands Of Hell’. The title song ‘Metal Masses’ is fast, furious and a frenzied blur of blistering guitars and galloping rhythms. ‘Metal Masses’ displays the thrashier side of Hell Fire and is a thunderous blast of thrash-inspired heavy metal.
Iron Maiden ‘Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra) and Metallica ‘Orion’ are both examples of cracking heavy metal instrumentals, and Hell Fire have their own in the shape of ‘Excelsior’. Pace and power return in superb fashion as ‘Battlecry’ hits top speed, again showing the thrash metal side of Hell Fire. Just like Metallica managed with ‘Master Of Puppets’ in 1986, Hell Fire has blended thrash metal and the classic sound of traditional heavy metal to produce a head-turning and brilliant album. The relentless pace of this album is outstanding and there is simply no let-up as ‘Soldiers Of Sin’ scorches in and blazes a fiery trail as it races on and on. Old-school heavy metal is not dead, as Hell Fire has confirmed with this album. Sadly, all good things come to an end, and so does this album, but not without one last hurrah… A second seven-minute plus epic, ‘Escape Purgatory’ is a song that can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the epics from iconic British band Iron Maiden. ‘Escape Purgatory’ builds the atmosphere during the intro and then rages on through savage riffs and galloping rhythms. If you’re looking for a breathtaking, fast-paced album to headbang furiously to…look no further than ‘Metal Masses’, it’s just the ticket.
Overall, thunderous and infectious, ‘Metal Masses’ is a breathtaking and adrenaline-pumping album, packed to the rafters with blistering thrash-influenced heavy metal.
TRACKLIST
Prelude
Lightning Axes
Sirens Of The Hunter
Into The Light
Night Terror
Islands Of Hell
Metal Masses
Excelsior
Battlecry
Soldiers Of Sin
Escape Purgatory
Hell Fire: Facebook
Release Year: 2016
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
