Upon further reflection back to 1984, I have come to the conclusion that I seemed to be in the right place at the right time when a particular metal band's song got played on MTV or their album just happened to be on display when I walked past the record store. In the case of this six song EP from American metal artists, Hellion, I don't exactly remember which one of those scenarios apply. For some reason, however, their name has stuck in my mind for over thirty-three years. In fact, I went through a period wondering if I was confusing Hellion with Helix but thankfully, I wasn't.
The debut album from Hellion is another cool stereotypical 80s metal album, plain and simple. Things open with the high energy "Break the Spell" and does its job in getting the metal juices flowing. There is a cool opening riff to the song which helps grab your attention before the fast paced action begins. Lead singer Ann Boleyn stamps her vocal authority on things and it all points to a good time had by all. Any doubts otherwise are cast quickly aside by my vote for best track, "Don't Take No." This is a slightly less fast paced ditty but the power behind the melody is attention grabbing. So is the little drum solo at the beginning. Again, Boleyn's vocals shine and there's also of course, the obligatory killer guitar solo and that's why this song gets my vote.
"Backstabber" takes things up a notch with its speedier riffs. On this song, Ann proves she has a very good voice provided she doesn't try to scream so much. On this track, her voice fits the music very well and a decent guitar solo is heard. Furthermore, the band do a good job in the backing vocals department on it. Another cool intro gets, "Looking for a Good Time" going in the right direction and that leads to a good steady metal tune with all the fore-mentioned elements present. That, in turn, leads to the next track, "Driving Hard," where the change of tempo does wonders for the song and if the guitar solo was a little longer, it would have been the best one on the album. "Up From the Depths" closes the party with it's theatrical intro/cool guitar solo intro before it belts out mayhem. Definitely the best song to close the album, the guitar solo makes that clear. If I've discovered anything about this album, the songs are definitely arranged in the correct order.
Track Listing:
- Break the Spell
- Don't Take No
- Backstabber
- Looking for a Good Time
- Driving Hard
- Up From the Depths
Hellion[/caption]Ann Boleyn- throat
Alan Barlem- guitar
Ray Schenk- guitar
Sean Kelly- drums
Bill Sweet- bass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90sYsHm-JGI
After this debut EP, Hellion would disappear for a few years. Wendy Dio would eventually take the band under her wing but that's for another time. So is the mistake to fire Ann Boleyn and bring in a male vocalist. So, there won't be any more Hellion posts until I get to 1987 so have a listen to this debut and enjoy.
Next post: Saxon- Crusader
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