Review by Jason Guest 
Hell is a band that almost made it in the 80s and Human Remains is an album that very nearly isn’t. Touring for years and suffering seemingly constant disfavour from the media, they were signed in ’86 by a label that almost immediately went bankrupt. In 1987, tragedy put an end to Hell when original frontman David Halliday took his own life. It’s been almost thirty years since these songs last saw light of day and it’s because of renowned metal musician and producer Andy Sneap, a long-time a fan of the band, that they are here today. It’s clear that the band care deeply about the songs and their unsung legacy. The performances across the whole album are first-rate, as is Sneap’s production. Three original members – Kev Bowers, guitar; Tony Speakman, bass; and Tim Bowler, drums –with Sneap on guitar have called upon Bowers’s brother David on vocal duties to re-record the old material. And whether by fortune or fathoming, Bower’s voice is strikingly similar to Halliday’s, uncannily so. His performance is hauntingly supernatural, powerful, chilling, and laced with madness; the archetypal NWOBHM voice that lends the songs the theatrics they demand. The songs themselves are surprisingly strong. In “Save us from those who would save us”, the Catholic Church’s recent child abuse scandal is foregrounded; Shakespeare gets the metal treatment in “Macbeth”, the song a retelling of a play that deals directly with institutional corruption and influence; and closing track “No Martyr’s Cage” leaves us face-to-face with the colossal burden of existence in an amoral world “devoid of divinity”. These themes of power, corruption, religion, moral tragedy, and the unending battle between good and evil pervade the album and it’s alarming to realise that not much has changed in our society over the past thirty years. A sobering thought. A lot of the music produced during the 80s has long-since disappeared from view, simply because the songs weren’t good enough. Because of their 80s record label collapsing, Hell and their oeuvre almost disappeared with them. Sneap’s production, the band’s performance, and their collaborative determination have resulted in a commendable collection of tunes that heavy metal would be at a loss without. But better than that, this is an album that is sure to stand strong amongst the metal albums of today. In the face of so many revivalist scenes, the NWOBHM wave in particular, Human Remains has all the elements that make up a classic that will ensure that this album will no doubt end up on a number of ‘Best of 2011’ lists. A blue-print for metal that’s long overdue. Welcome to Hell. 8 out of 10 Read MR's interview with Kev Bower and Andy Sneap here
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Hell - Human Remainsposted 17 Apr 2011 09:13 by Liam Booth [ updated 29 Nov 2011 11:26 by Jason G ] |