Sunday, November 30, 2014

HESS Hagalaz Review by W.Wolf (English)


Review in GARM Akt 2 (Kap.2) - German fanzine – to be published in December 2014
English translation by Melani Hess

HESS is a Classic Heavy Metal band from Argentina, and before any politically correct “do-gooder” shits in his own pants due to the band’s name, here’s a warning: your diapers may remain clean, for the name simply comes from the singer’s surname. We shall deal with Miss Hess later on.

Some influences HESS has are: KING DIAMOND, DIO, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, among other similar ones, as well as more contemporary bands. If you want to take into account the influences of the band’s founding member and singer appealing to a close resemblance to NIGHTWISH (considering that it’s about an opera singer), this wouldn’t be quite so, for her singing is as hard at times as it is lively, up to the point of bordering on the classic sound of a ‘Teutonic Heavy Metal’.

Hagalaz is an album of about 60 minutes, whose title has been taken from the Rune of the same name (warning, “do-gooders” – clarification), and it consists of nine songs of their own plus a cover song of JOAN BAEZ/JUDAS PRIEST.

The album starts with “Blood & Iron”, a song that is at the same level than Rock 'n' Rolf Kasparek from RUNNING WILD. The relatively high lead voice is very clear, and as stated previously, it reminds more or less of NIGHTWISH like the rest of the work. This, let me be clear, is a personal opinion.

“The Hessian” is the second song and there are two guest vocalists. Musically, it is a song that calls to mind the old 80’s IRON MAIDEN.

It is followed by the really good “Clarisse’s Nightmare”; song of about 6 minutes. It starts off very quiet and develops, after about two minutes, towards the lines of the first two songs. Contrary to these latter, the voice is not that high.

Song number 4 carries a title in German: "Der Teufel und sein Lehrling" (The Devil and his Apprentice), a total surprise. The interesting text includes the lines: “The war we will win, the Holy Lance we must find, the singers sing to the moon, in honour of the master race.” And towards the end: “The Devil does not forgive, after death we will live, before my Lord, I know, he sets me free. I regret nothing.”

“The Giant” is dedicated to the memory of RONNIE JAMES DIO and has been written entirely in his name. This six-minute song reminds musically and completely of DIO, even in the female voice.

“Interpretación” has been composed in Spanish, about which I cannot give an opinion, except that it is a song of Classic Heavy Metal.

“Sailor’s Cross” is the seventh song. It arrives with the typical strength of a Classic and Teutonic metal, in the style of old bands such as RUNNING WILD. The lyrics allude to the true story about the confrontation between the US and the URSS in 1962.

Also about a real event is the eighth song: “Perpetual Flight”, which retells the story of a loyal man who sets out on a flight towards a distant and strange land, where he is imprisoned and sentenced to 46 years in jail until he is murdered. Musically speaking, it is very similar to the previous songs.

“Boleskine House”, the longest song of the album with more than eight-minute duration, is absolutely a classic song of Heavy Metal, with one or various guitar solos. Here, the lead vocals are again accompanied by another male voice, which makes it validly richer in musical composition.

The last song is a cover of JOAN BAEZ: “Diamonds and Rust”, also covered by JUDAS PRIEST. He who knows the song knows what could be expected. Here you will find a quiet ballad with a high-pitched female voice.

Although I am no (longer a) big fan of Heavy Metal (was I ever?), “Hagalaz”, HESS’s debut album, is an exceptional Heavy Metal band in every sense of the word. Therefore, due to the fact that Miss Hess possesses a high vocal range, it turns out pleasant to listen to for those who enjoy this vocalization type. The search for a similarity with NIGHTWISH could be, as was previously emphasized, available and justified, since the singer has been in a Nightwish cover band. With or without the Finnish influence, the music of HESS is a hundred per cent more honest and doesn’t have, from head to toe, anything tacky.

As an additional conformation of the album, we must say that it has a fantastic and dreamlike cover art. For the time being, the album is available only in digital version.

Contact information of the band’s frontwoman Hess: www.melanihess.com (the site is in Spanish, English and German), or the e-mail: melanihess@hotmail.com


W.Wolf
Garm Magazin Editor
Herrieden - Germany/Deutschland
garm-magazin@hotmail.de


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