Haniwa
Helleven

The Tuscan band Helleven is the classic old-school band, which enjoys playing rough with that healthy dose of sonic "ignorance" typical of thrash/heavy metal. After basically describing the artistic proposal of Our Guys, let's move on to "Helleven," a bold debut album that is faithful to what the band writes in its biography, that is, a varied work that sets no limits of any kind. Indeed, the eleven tracks offered here are a very interesting calling card, where we can find references to Swedish death metal, mid-'90s Testament, hard'n'heavy, and why not, even rock'n'roll. All while starting from a thrash base, highlighted through granitic riffs and rhythms almost always pushed to the limit. The fact of having opted for a "minimal" (or vintage, if you prefer) sound production adds value to the album, which thus sounds even more raw and rough than originally envisioned by the band itself. "Volcano" and "Haniwa" are two examples of the best side of this group, which, however, falters on one occasion, "Tides Of Time," a track of almost seven minutes that, after a long instrumental intro, struggles to find its form, reaching the conclusion with great difficulty. Vocals are, of course, as graceless and shouted as necessary to remind everyone of the belligerent intentions of the Haniwa, a band that, although debuting, has been able to show its teeth from the start, proving aggressive and ready for the big step forward. Keep it up.