Rohan Kohli
03/16/06, 10:46 PM
Hell Promise (http://www.myspace.com) – Aim For Hell
Release Date: April 4, 2005
Record Label: RocketStar Recordings
Track listing:
1. Chamber #5
2. Brass Knuckle Nightmare
3. Venom, Vice, and Valor
4. Arsonist
5. The New Black Death
6. Time Bomb
7. Vengance
8. Black Winter
9. Upon the Mouth of Thieves
10. Shotgun Romance
Take a wild guess as to what Hell Promise sounds like. Forget the fact that they’re on the same label Gatsby’s American Dream, This Providence, and Acceptance were all on. Here are a few hints: their name is Hell Promise, the name of their album is Aim For Hell, and song titles include “Brass Knuckle Nightmare,” “Vengance” [sic], and “Shotgun Romance.” Needless to say, Hell Promise dishes out a furious blend of old- and new-school metal on their debut full length, combining guttural vocals, dirty, Southern riffs, and crusty, raw production, all the while boring me to death. While Hell Promise ain’t bad, they sure aren’t doing much new. The Pantera meets Slayer (the verse in “Chamber #5” is evidence enough for the band’s love of “South of Heaven”) meets Swedish-styled riffs are somewhat entertaining, but ultimately, it’s hard to get excited about this album. Hell Promise has a lot of potential—many parts on Aim For Hell are well written and catchy, and the songwriting is certainly pretty professional (very consistent throughout too), but personally, in a genre that’s worn to the extreme, a band has to bring something new to the table for me to get into it. Also, better lyrics would be a plus: "Back off or confront your weakness / Son of a bitch, I'll fight you too / You know you've stepped in deep shit / Another brass knuckle nightmare come true." Lame. Perhaps next time, Hell Promise.
Release Date: April 4, 2005
Record Label: RocketStar Recordings
Track listing:
1. Chamber #5
2. Brass Knuckle Nightmare
3. Venom, Vice, and Valor
4. Arsonist
5. The New Black Death
6. Time Bomb
7. Vengance
8. Black Winter
9. Upon the Mouth of Thieves
10. Shotgun Romance
Take a wild guess as to what Hell Promise sounds like. Forget the fact that they’re on the same label Gatsby’s American Dream, This Providence, and Acceptance were all on. Here are a few hints: their name is Hell Promise, the name of their album is Aim For Hell, and song titles include “Brass Knuckle Nightmare,” “Vengance” [sic], and “Shotgun Romance.” Needless to say, Hell Promise dishes out a furious blend of old- and new-school metal on their debut full length, combining guttural vocals, dirty, Southern riffs, and crusty, raw production, all the while boring me to death. While Hell Promise ain’t bad, they sure aren’t doing much new. The Pantera meets Slayer (the verse in “Chamber #5” is evidence enough for the band’s love of “South of Heaven”) meets Swedish-styled riffs are somewhat entertaining, but ultimately, it’s hard to get excited about this album. Hell Promise has a lot of potential—many parts on Aim For Hell are well written and catchy, and the songwriting is certainly pretty professional (very consistent throughout too), but personally, in a genre that’s worn to the extreme, a band has to bring something new to the table for me to get into it. Also, better lyrics would be a plus: "Back off or confront your weakness / Son of a bitch, I'll fight you too / You know you've stepped in deep shit / Another brass knuckle nightmare come true." Lame. Perhaps next time, Hell Promise.