Hell To Pay
Judgement Day Independent Release
Hailing from Manchester we have the superb Hell to Pay, these Mancunians have released a gem of a debut, with nine tracks of melodic, anthematic hard rocking metal. The band will have you head-banging, singing the choruses, which will sear into your consciousness with killer guitar solos and crashing drums. The album opens with 'Prisoners of War', it’s a cracking opener and it took me ages to get past the first track and onto the rest of the album. It’s really how Metal should be. It is intelligent, heavy, with some burning rhythms, this is a classic metal opener by these hugely talented rockers.
The four members of Hell to Pay have honed their skills and come up trumps as Vocalist / Guitarist Daniel Martin shows his phenomenal talents, guitarist Dario Nikzad and Daniel Martin deliver some ripping, paint stripping solos as the drums are pummeled by Tom Henstock and deep bass grooves are delivered by Stu.
Next we get 'Devil In Me' and see Martin's vocal abilities leaving this reviewer gob smacked. This guy, indeed the whole band, have “Rock Star” written all over them and they should be out there wowing arenas, I kid you not! 'The Run' has the style and finesse of an Olympic champion. Next we get to 'The End'. It opens full of atmosphere and is a stunning tune full of impressive solos. The title track 'Judgment Day' is a real corker and together with the album opener 'Prisoners of War', for me wins hands down as the bands greatest tracks on here. 'Judgment Day', I understand is a favorite live and I can see why, this will have you dancing and head-banging the night away.
'Goin' Down' sees the band on the bayou, it's rocking with a southern tinge, blues infused and really delivers on all fronts. 'Mistreated' like 'Goin Down' from the bands 2012 EP, is catchy and full of distinctive character, I am really glad the band decided to include these two from the EP.
'Take Us Away' opens slowly and rocks the world with Martin's vocals coming to the fore, it is excellent as the hard rocking gets into your soul. Final track 'Let It Go' springs and jumps, it rocks and rolls baby! And ends a superb album and then what’s this? An excellent cover of Deep Purple’s ‘Stormbringer’, the band pull it off with top marks. This year thess the lads have supported Snakecharmer, Warrior Soul & Reckless Love.
They have had an article in Classic Rock Presents AOR magazine and have secured bookings for several festivals well into next year, including sharing the main stage at HRH AOR with Graham Bonnet … Hell To Pay are going to cause a storm, in fact a hurricane in 2014, I am pretty damn certain! So make sure you grab a hold of 'Judgment Day' and see this band live, as I promise you, you will not be disappointed!
The future is bright for Hell To Pay!!!
Review by: Seb Di Gatto
Tracklisting:
1. Prisoners Of War
2. Devil In Me
3. Run
4. The End
5. Judgement Day
6. Goin' Down
7. Mistreated
8. Take Us Away
9. Let It Go
10. Stormbringer
