HELLBREATH
Slave
Of God
Line-up:
Andreas Köhler (git), Adolf
Klein (dr), Georg Manger (voc), Goetz Mursch (git)
format: LP
year: 1988
country:
Germany
label:
RV-Records
#:
HBR 10001
info:
No insert.
style: Thrash Metal
Side A:
- Satan's Calling
- Slave Of God
- Gambler
- Riding Free
Side B:
- Invasion Of The Undead
- Chainsaw Massacre/Empire Of Lords
- No Clemency
((CLICK PICS FOR HI-RES SCANS))
I
don't think a Metal album has to be particularly great for it to get reviewed
at The Corroseum. Sometimes it's enough that the record seem to be just
about unknown and very seldom mentioned. After all there must be someone
out there who's been looking for info on this particular title, so mainly
for that reason I thought I'd write a few words on the disappointing "Slaves
Of God" by HELLBREATH and once again confirm the cliché that
'man, you can find just about anything on the web, can't you?'...
I've only seen this LP mentioned once before on a list and it was the
sellers comment: 'A Death Metal album I actually kinda liked', that caught
my attention and made me pick it up on my first and only live encounter
with the album. Nope, it's not Death Metal by far (not exactly the sellers
specialty), more like diverse Thrash/Power Metal with plenty of nice,
slowed down MAIDEN-parts for good measure. Playing- and productionwise
it's on an amateurish but listenable demo-level, songwise is borders on
a diamond-in-the-rough. Long, intricate songs with plenty of cool riffing,
breaks and melodies. There definitely was potential to be found in HELLBREATH
at some point. So what's the catch then? Why shouldn't you throw yourself
on this very rare (?) record and add it to your collection if only for
the sake of completion? Oh yes, you might have guessed it by now - the
vocals are FUCKING HORRENDOUS!! They're even worse than BLACK SHEPHERD's
and almost as bad as KUSTER's and they TOTALLY ruins the album!
Well, not totally actually. There is some small consolation in the fact
that the lengthy pieces have plenty of instrumental parts that really
do shine, especially in songs like "Satan's Calling", "No
Clemency" and the title track. Still, the atonal, nasal grunts of
Georg Manger makes "Slave Of God" as a whole quite unlistenable.
[sigh..] And I had such [sob!] high expectations when I finally got to
[snivel!] bring home a copy! [sob!]. Bastards!!!
One thing I really do love about the album is the unconventional band
pictures on the back sleeve. They're so totally un-Metal they're actually
kinda cool. German hippies kickin' it back in the countryside after what
must have been a very short and not too highly motivated rehearsal. Hey,
It really works, man. It enhances the liberating, carefree, d.i.y.
feeling that comes with a private pressing. Such a shame it's all wasted
on the completely deaf-&-dumb HELLBREATH-quartet.