(Power Metal) [CD] Helstar - This Wicked Nest - 2014, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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 Sušnik. 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.

Review written by VirginSteele_Helstar for www.metal-archives.com

James Rivera - Vocals
Michael Lewis - Drums
Rob Trevino - Guitars
Larry Barragan - Guitars
Matej Susnik - Bass