ALBUM REVIEW: Helvetets Port – Warlords

Sweden’s Heavy Metal die-hards Helvetets Port are back with their third album! Set for release via High Roller Records on September 6th.

Raunchy riffing and powerful drums launch into life, pure old school charm encompassing all. The eerie vocals spectrally flow upon the crushing instrumentals, showing a refined Helvetets Port since their prior works. Their sense of melody and epic nature is still intact but a more tight unit of a band proceeds to decimate with force. The simplistic but effective approach of potent riffing with soulful lead work blends into hard-hitting drums while the upfront vocals fill the air with enchanting Heavy Metal calls to battle. Low end attack is just as important as the guitars and the razoring bass is definitely present here. The mix feels full-bodied and natural with that unpolished edge that is so endearing about this band. Their previous efforts may have been a bit tougher to digest for some (though I am rather fond) but this record feels like a healthy middle ground between that and a more developed execution. The start of “Warlords” is definitely a hopeful one.

Although these guys hail from Sweden, a land of impeccable Heavy Metal treasures, there is a distinctly British touch to some moments on this album that would feel just at home on a record by Mythra, or some other cult NWOBHM 7″. The more marching paces on other tracks could be from a USPM gem too. The forging of these three distinctive and wonderful sounds is achieved coherently and their adoration for the old school is both admirable and sonically enjoyable. Some of the more punky moments accentuate that English pub-brawler feeling, ironically while sung in Swedish, on “Hårdför Överman”. There’s definitely an all-over-the-place quality to this record that is no surprise to someone who has heard their other albums. There are some ideas such as the one I just mentioned that worked really well to my ear. Some parts feel a little less solid, sort of like a more warped Brocas Helm, but even those are pulled off with a conviction I cannot help but admire.

This band still have a very unusual feel to them, which isn’t the most palatable at times, but the sheer will to go their own way has my respect nonetheless. I would have liked to see the more melodic ideas expanded upon more, something we can hope for in the future, but their presence was appreciated all the same. Eleven tracks is quite a hearty meal, but Helvetets Port definitely change things up regularly enough to keep you at the table. The guitar and bass work for me are utterly magnificent, the vocals are cool and the drums reliably pummelling throughout. “Helvete På Larvfötter” proved I especially like them when the band performs in Swedish. Everything is done very well and aside from some unusual arrangement / compositional choices (just down to my own personal preferences) this feels like a logical next step for the band. But those things do not ruin this album, plus they definitely make it stand out a bit more from the crowd. Maybe with time I will love this record a lot more, but as for now I still liked it a fair amount. This is definitely an album I think everyone will come to their own vastly different conclusions about, which is a healthy sign for the band whose divisive music continues to make a name for itself.

Helvetets Port continue to be a unique band who refuse to play by the rules of modern falseness. These stubborn Swedish rockers give us another triumph of heartfelt Heavy Metal that remains completely on their own terms. Great musicianship and magical old school worship makes for a strong record that lovers of more raw and rambunctious music will adore.