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October 12, 2008 |
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01. Let Me Out
02. Midnight Lady
03. Second Deal
04. Someone Lives Inside
05. Eternal
06. Mindbreaker
07. Sunrise
08. Live My Life
09. Rock 'N' Roll
10. Break Free
11. Hunt Me Down
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If you have never heard of HELLFUELED before, it's about time that you did. Formed in Huskvarna, Sweden back in 1998, the band consists of four talented musicians who realized their mutual love of classic heavy metal (and beer drinking) long ago, and have never looked back since. After beginning their musical career under the names BELOW and FIREBUG, the band were forced to drop both names because they were being used by two other individual American bands. Thus, they decided upon a new identity, and HELLFUELED was born. Seven demo/promo CDs later, the band were picked up by Black Lodge Records and have finally released their first full-length debut, "Volume One".
Right from the drop of the flag, this album hits you smack between the eyes and then kicks you in the derriere just for the heck of it. The contents of the disc are a mixture of classic metal, stoner rock and something uniquely HELLFUELED. The album starts off with the adrenaline-filled "Let Me Out", and you can hear the "classic" influence here almost instantly. Axe-meister Jocke Lundgren delivers some killer guitar howling in the beginning before the vocals kick in. I must admit, I was in a near state of shock when vocalist Andy Alkman began striking the chords because I thought I was listening to OZZY's clone! I am not kidding – this guy's voice is so identical to that of the great one, it's scary! His vocal ability literally matches the exact same pitch and range as Mr. Osbourne himself, and is dominant throughout the entire CD.
"Midnight Lady" is another great track with a nice blend of hard-edged groove, along with some additional female background vocals. Songs like "Second Deal", "Someone Lives Inside" and "Eternal" really stand out as further examples of Alkman's incredible voice, and Lundgren's guitar solos are amazing. "Sunrise" and "Rock 'N' Roll" are both mid-ranged songs with a lot more of those varied vocals and very nice Zakk Wylde-ish sounding guitar riffs/solos. The same can be said about "Break Free", where Lundrgren again wails out yet another collection of the ever-recognizable Zakk-style-like string-screams.
"Volume One" is a clear indication of a great future for this promising band. The album was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden and was forged by renowned producer, Fredrik Nordström (DREAM EVIL, ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR), so you are getting nothing but the best in production and sound here. As far as the actual CD itself, the band really pulled off this achievement nicely. They seem to work very well with each other and it certainly shows through their performance. The songs are catchy and in-your-face, and most will have you air-guitaring and/or singing along in no time flat. If you like anything previously done by the OZZY/WYLDE team, you should be quite happy with this album. Fill up your tank with some HELLFUELED-brand "Volume One" gasoline!
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