Hellwalker – Coldblooded
Hellwalker – Coldblooded
Rot’em Records
01/04/24
Running Time: 25:07
Review by Oli Gonzalez
4/10
Hellwalker, a Portuguese one person Extreme Metal project lead by B.R, for whom that person’s identity shall remain a mystery. What’s also a mystery and intriguing to me is the range of quality you will find in one person solo projects. The likes of Blackbraid and Panopticon have drawn legions of fans worldwide and are in demand on the touring circuits, whereas some projects sound like they’ve been recorded in someone’s bathroom with a cheap voice recorder. Where will “Coldblooded,” the LP for Hellwalker, lie on this spectrum?
Describing the project as a one that ‘continues to worship the old ways’, I can see an old school Death Metal vibe, perhaps slower, more in the style of Obituary. Perhaps even elements of old school Thrash, and Grind in the style of Rotten Sound. However, I’ll just come out and say it; the production values on “Coldblooded” are poor! Even those early Death Metal bands from the late 1980s were putting out better produced records than what I’m listening to right now from Hellwalker, in the year 2024. The guitars sound far too thin and scratchy, and I’m desperate to hear some good quality low end. Maybe this is all part of the attempt to provide a ‘gruesome and dirtier chainsaw’ sound, in the words of the artists. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for me. These were more thoughts on the music in the early stages. As for the vocals, honestly they just made me uncomfortable, like someone attempting to clear their throat rather than singing in an Extreme Metal style, scratchy rather than awe inspiring and intimidating. The first attempts at modern production comes during ‘Them’, with a much sharper and hard hitting bass line. It’s also the first time really that the artist lives up to its promise of delivering a ‘more polished production’. Because up until now, it seems like it’s been polished with dustier than dusty rag that’s gone well past its use by date.
That’s it really. It’s perfectly fine to want to create an album with an old school feel, but “Coldblooded” truly misses the mark with offering any semblance of modern values and wasn’t a pleasant listen. Whilst I wouldn’t say it’s been recorded in somebody’s bathroom with a cheap recording device, there’s definitely a huge improvement required.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Coldblooded
02. Decimation
03. Love turns into hate
04. Them
05. Breath in breathe out
06. My name is hate
07. Fantasmas
LINE-UP:
B.R – all instruments and music
LINKS:
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