Core, the bane of RMR? Not quite, just a bunch of styles that don’t sit too well over at the RMR Review Desk. Albeit some hybrids found pretty feisty praise in 2024. So, good fare will find recognition after all.
Tyraels Ascension‘s debut record Hell Walker dwelled in our review pipe for a while – and got forcefully displaced by some metallic extremes that will air shortly on RMR. Hence our being comfortably late all over again. And – perhaps – the need for core-ish brutality wasn’t all that prevalent for a while. Sometimes the urge for caustic screams just ain’t there. But here we go.
So, finally, Hell Walker reappeared on our radar. And, as per Ze Codex Ov RMR, if a solid theme supports the record, great things will may happen. Case in point, Tyraels Ascension didn’t only read off a storyline, they actually made a video game supporting the tale and the album. That’s not necessarily a new concept.1 But it’s a sign of genuine willingness to boost quality by building a solid foundation for their work.
Hell Walker‘s thrash-laden and highly dense mélange of Metalcore and Melodic Death Metal contains more (early) In Flames that is probably good for it. And right from the start, the record ferociously stamps its imprint into your frontal lobe with surprising aggression. Alex Theesen‘s merciless and meaty Hardcore-ish howls assault front-center without a lot of breathing room. Which is the way the mix is supposed to sound, of course. But this record is more brutal than most pieces we encountered so far. And this goes to the detriment of other instruments that often lose themselves somewhere in that (un)holy fire of theirs.
Furthermore, whenever the record took on some steam, something didn’t quite sync. The production often sounded somewhat unpleasant, unfinished, and unhinged. A staccato of fragments, bricked up to a point, and making for a harsh and unwieldy soundscape. And that despite the undeniably pretty solid songwriting throughout Hell Walker. If, as per their credo, the band wanted to create some “…razor sharp metal…”, it didn’t quite work out like that. Instead, they must have worked with nicked blades that rip flesh and spray blood all around. None of those paper-thin cuts that hardly bleed.
The guitar work, in contrast, is outstanding. Hell Walker truly contains some of the best riffs and snazziest solos of this year’s crop of records. Interestingly, Kevin McNeil and Sean Searls both assigned the role of lead/rhythm guitar to themselves. Meaning, they’re equal partners in crime, and it shows. Leads often intertwine and you’ll find some true tag teamwork throughout the record. Little nuggets that shine brightly in a sea of core-ish wanton barbarity.
And yet. Core records often feel the urge to be a part-time boy band. Some outfits are doing this pretty well with superior skills on full display. Unfortunately, Hell Walker ain’t one of them. The often weak, disjointed, and off-kilter group chant performance on this record didn’t quite convince us. Perhaps a few lessons with a capable coach for the folks over at Tyraels Ascension might be in order. Just sayin.
Ultimately, Hell Walker is no bad record. The band clearly had all the right ideas with a rock-solid theme, a video, and a pretty sturdy execution. The main vocals sound okay, the songsmithing holds its liquor, and the ferocious energy used to describe a main contributor to hell’s questionable fame is otherworldly. But – the RMR crew was constantly pulled back down from metal bliss to the harsh realities of a production with serious glitches. To the point that even the large amount of acoustic interludes on display or the terrific yet unexpected lead at the end of Inferno couldn’t sway us any which way.
This leaves us with a record that overpromised on the promo sheet and underdelivered on disk. However, Hell Walker, despite its many impurities, still landed on the good side of our rating scale. And, I daresay, there’s tremendous talent in this band. That said, if they’re able to iron out the aforementioned flaws and imperfections, a great sophomore album should emerge. And let’s hope I’m right for their next record because our mighty codex failed me this time.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Rottweiler Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 26 July 2024
- Iron Maiden pulled stunts like that-↩