┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Helstar - This Wicked Nest + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.Jun-01-2014 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │ │║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........2014 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........09 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.helstar.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Helstar Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : This Wicked Nest Label : AFM ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Aesthetically speaking, there is not a whole lot ║ │ │║ to like about "This Wicked Nest". I find the ║ │ │║ album title rather too general and apt to be ║ │ │║ lost in a sea of other seemingly meaningful yet ║ │ │║ ultimately meaningless titles; quite all- ║ │ │║ encompassing but in a way that is too trite to ║ │ │║ merit contemplation. "The King Of Hell" which is ║ │ │║ chapter one in the chronicles of nu Helstar was ║ │ │║ at least straightforward in its menace and ║ │ │║ "Glory of Chaos" is the TRUEST HELSTAR ALBUM ║ │ │║ TITLE EVER!!! since the band has since its ║ │ │║ inception been a bundle of chaos. Controlled ║ │ │║ chaos, yes, but chaos nonetheless. "This Wicked ║ │ │║ Nest" as a title is bland and easy in comparison ║ │ │║ as is its packaging. The artwork is rife with ║ │ │║ doomsday themes but looks like a conspiracy ║ │ │║ theorist's absurd rantings about the clandestine ║ │ │║ forces that govern us all via art. "The King of ║ │ │║ Hell" and "Glory of Chaos" were not subtle ║ │ │║ either but they weren't shabby. So aesthetically ║ │ │║ "This Wicked Nest" sucks but since the real art ║ │ │║ to be appreciated here is the music, let's not ║ │ │║ tarry any further with the finer points of ║ │ │║ outward presentation. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Musically speaking, there's a whole lot to ║ │ │║ really like about "This Wicked Nest". I find ║ │ │║ that of the three albums the Texans have put out ║ │ │║ since starting down the road of modernity, it is ║ │ │║ their most satisfying and complete work. ║ │ │║ Post-"Nosferatu" Helstar albums suffer inside ║ │ │║ depths of obscurity from which they can't be ║ │ │║ lifted from and that is due in large part to the ║ │ │║ fact that Helstar's finest was an affair of ║ │ │║ excess, of grace and finesse that anything else ║ │ │║ simply pales in comparison. "The King of Hell" ║ │ │║ did not necessarily try to replicate the charm ║ │ │║ and character of "Nosferatu" but it laid it on ║ │ │║ too thick with the heaviness and that and only ║ │ │║ that became the trait by which the album is ║ │ │║ defined by. It is a heavy monster of a record ║ │ │║ but nothing else stands out-not the riffs, not ║ │ │║ the hooks. Songs trickled by only to bludgeon ║ │ │║ you but with nothing for you to recall them ║ │ │║ with. Helstar could still be admired for being ║ │ │║ ambitious but not so much for being creative. ║ │ │║ Songs like "When Empires Fall" winked to the ║ │ │║ past, adorning a riff cycle out of "A Distant ║ │ │║ Thunder" while the title track, "The King of ║ │ │║ Hell" became the ode to "Painkiller" James ║ │ │║ Rivera had always intended to write but you see, ║ │ │║ around that time, Pharaoh had become the ║ │ │║ quintessential American power metal band, ║ │ │║ crafting fully fleshed songs that relied on more ║ │ │║ than just heaviness to put their point across ║ │ │║ and consequentially, Helstar although generally ║ │ │║ agreed upon as still effective could simply not ║ │ │║ be looked upon to raise any bars, set any trends ║ │ │║ or redefine the game. "Glory of Chaos" proved ║ │ │║ this even more fully than "The King of Hell" ║ │ │║ did. It had heavier, thrashier songs than ║ │ │║ anything the band had done before and yet there ║ │ │║ wasn't much of the darkness and atmosphere ║ │ │║ earlier albums had provided. No character. Larry ║ │ │║ Barragan and Rob Trevino had paid close ║ │ │║ attention to the invasion of Lamb of God and ║ │ │║ Nevermore and only the melodic interpretations ║ │ │║ (and charisma) of James Rivera was keeping the ║ │ │║ band stationed in the power metal realm. Helstar ║ │ │║ imitators like Germany's Sacred Steel were doing ║ │ │║ a better job of balancing the shades of thrash ║ │ │║ with the tenets of power as their "Hammer of ║ │ │║ Destruction" album proves. "Glory of Chaos" upon ║ │ │║ multiple exploration will endear itself well to ║ │ │║ one already partial to Helstar but even then, ║ │ │║ its creases and strained moments become fully ║ │ │║ real than apparent. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Which leads us to "This Wicked Nest". The ║ │ │║ groundwork was laid with the two previous albums ║ │ │║ and now Helstar delivers an album that is a ║ │ │║ thing of dark beauty. It is brazenly heavy which ║ │ │║ is not a new thing but it has character and ║ │ │║ depth which is a brand new thing. For example, ║ │ │║ James Rivera scream his head off on the title ║ │ │║ track but not to show off his admirable range, ║ │ │║ he does so in a manner of crazed pontification ║ │ │║ which fits the rapt tension supplied by Larry ║ │ │║ and Rob's riffing. The song gives off a vibe of ║ │ │║ disaster and impending doom in superlatively ║ │ │║ effective tones than its cousin "Pandemonium" ║ │ │║ (off "Glory of Chaos") could ever muster. ║ │ │║ "Cursed" is another highlight-a masterfully ║ │ │║ woven epic that swings from emotive ballad to ║ │ │║ fierce crushing doom-and provides one of James ║ │ │║ Rivera's finest vocal performances ever on ║ │ │║ record. It also boasts of the best guitar solo ║ │ │║ on the entire album and a superb bass presence ║ │ │║ courtesy of Matej SuÜnik. Hearing "Cursed" ║ │ │║ unfold, you are arrested with feelings of ║ │ │║ surging dread and rampant despair but as it ║ │ │║ winds down there is a sort of dark transcendence ║ │ │║ achieved. "Defy The Swarm" on the other hand ║ │ │║ claws the shores with a neat thrash assault ║ │ │║ given great aplomb by Michael Lewis' unflagging ║ │ │║ drumming and Rivera's maniacal rasps. The lyrics ║ │ │║ attest to the album's general themes of ║ │ │║ unavoidable conflict but in a more optimistic ║ │ │║ manner than Testament's "Formation of Damnation" ║ │ │║ and certainly with more finesse than Death ║ │ │║ Angel's recent "The Dream Calls For Blood". ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ "Defy The Swarm" and opener "Fall of Dominion" ║ │ │║ mark the album's most modern metal moments and ║ │ │║ they are modern Helstar done right. "Fall of ║ │ │║ Dominion" is rich with chiming melodic guitars ║ │ │║ whilst maintaining the heaviness that is nu ║ │ │║ Helstar's trademark. It is also catchy and laden ║ │ │║ with hooks making it an instant live staple. It ║ │ │║ is certainly not "The King Is Dead" or "Baptized ║ │ │║ In Blood" but since we already have those, its ║ │ │║ place in the Helstar picture is well earned. The ║ │ │║ songs that follow it mine similar territory but ║ │ │║ still leave their mark. Ultimately the whole ║ │ │║ album does make a significant mark. It is a ║ │ │║ thorough and coherent modern masterpiece. It ║ │ │║ does not allude to the past but neither does it ║ │ │║ act like it never existed for you can hear the ║ │ │║ same rawness and gusto in Rivera's vocals as in ║ │ │║ "Remnants of War". It is brainy and layered but ║ │ │║ is also fun and theatrical. It is not overly ║ │ │║ earnest or pretentiously grand and most ║ │ │║ importantly, it has songs that stick in your ║ │ │║ head and make you wanna hear them again and ║ │ │║ again. Not all songs are gems but there's ample ║ │ │║ room to explore and cultivate interest because ║ │ │║ these area actual musical statements of craft ║ │ │║ and character. Comebacks are a tricky thing as ║ │ │║ Tad Morose are surely learning with their mildly ║ │ │║ interesting but largely touch and go "Revenant" ║ │ │║ album. It took Helstar two attempts but they ║ │ │║ have finally gotten their new style legitimized. ║ │ │║ "This Wicked Nest" is a triumph and proof that ║ │ │║ they are still far away from their twilight ║ │ │║ years.s ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ James Rivera - Vocals ║ │ │║ Michael Lewis - Drums ║ │ │║ Rob Trevino - Guitars ║ │ │║ Larry Barragan - Guitars ║ │ │║ Matej Susnik - Bass ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 01 - Fall Of Dominion [06:38] │ │ 02 - Eternal Black [05:50] │ │ 03 - This Wicked Nest [04:57] │ │ 04 - Souls Cry [04:45] │ │ 05 - Isla De Las Mu±ecas [03:59] │ │ 06 - Cursed [07:30] │ │ 07 - It Has Risen [04:34] │ │ 08 - Defy The Swarm [06:07] │ │ 09 - Magormissabib [07:23] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [51:43 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘