Allhelluja
Pain Is The Game

Second studio effort, in just over two years, for the Italian-Danish ALLHELLUJA.

A band formed by the already known music journalist Stefano Longhi on drums and author of all the lyrics and music, Massimo Gajer on guitars, Roberto Gelli on bass, and the Danish singer Jacob Bredahl, already the singer of Danish deathers HATESPHERE and also a musician with the Belgians BARCODE. With this "Pain is the game" Allheluja makes a big leap towards popularity on both European and global levels, and the good reviews received from more or less all foreign music magazines confirm it.

Listening to the record, one cannot help but confirm what is written in the band's promotional and presentation notes that present them as a mix of BLACK SABBATH, ENTOMBED, MOTORHEAD and KYUSS. From this mix, they generate a sound that, although really original is very little, has a deadly and fresh drive, all with the voice of BREDAHL who, having set aside the growl he usually uses in his main band (Hatesphere) and softened the edges of the debut album "INFERNO MUSEUM" (2005), lets himself go and tries to "sing" resulting in decidedly convincing and becoming the group's additional weapon.

Already from the perverse cover art, designed by American artist Chad Michael Ward, one can understand that Allheluja likes to surprise and make fun of the anxieties, fears, and human psyche with mocking and sarcastic lyrics aimed at exorcizing all of this without forgetting the great love for horror films.

We are faced with an album that flows pleasantly "LIKE A CATERPILLAR" with insane shards like the opener "ARE YOU READY? (READY FOR YOUR MASSACRE)" or the first single "SUPERHERO MOTHERFUCKER SUPERMAN" where it is acknowledged that in the face of the "life" horrors, there are no superheroes. In "HEY J" appears the only use of "growl vocals" by Bredahl, in "SOUL MAN", a song with a heavy blues groove, Joe Cocker is even mentioned, "I'M NOT THE ONE", "DEMONS TOWN", "HELL ON HEART", "THE KING OF PAIN" are excellent examples of the band's sick crossover, where the rotten death'n'roll in the ENTOMBED style marries with stoner and a certain southern-doom so dear to American bands like DOWN and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.

"BIG MONEY, SWEET MONEY" is a bit too reminiscent of "WANNABE" by EXTREMA from "Better mad than dead" (2001), while the finale is entrusted to the brief instrumental "AMEN".

In short, an Italian band that seems to have very little Italian and clearly aims significantly at the foreign market, also aided by the Danish singer's busy connections. And it is precisely from here that the only flaw of the group arises, which has not been able to undertake a true live tour that could confirm or contradict the great abilities expressed on the record.

The final note I would like to make is the total absence of guitar solos, which might open new horizons for a band that, as far as I can tell, believes in itself, and to which I wish great success.

One of my albums of the year within the metal realm.