Recommendation to all metal bands: never, ever, have the bass mixed in at the same or at a higher volume than the guitars. The trick worked in the horrendous and forgettable nu metal era because the instrument was reduced to its lowest common denominator (so it kind of works here), but on the same token, the production and lack of girth of the four strings takes away some of the power and density of metal music. Bass is a great nuanced instrument and when modulated perfectly it adds another dimension to the music. In the case of Increasing Hate, having it up so high in the mix is a detriment. Absolutely.
Hëllvox is an Argentinean nu / groove metal band with harsher tendencies. Encylopaedia Metallum has them listed as death metal but I beg to differ. There are death metal elements in the music, but ultimately, the dynamics between musicians and the super melodic choruses drop the intensity levels to very un-death metal levels. If there is something that is death metal about Hëllvox is the voice of The Italian Mothertrucker. Yes, he goes by that nickname and his pipes are super gruff. Unfortunately, there is more than that. There is a clean voice showing up in choruses and other lines. That my friends, sucks very very hard.
Then there are some grunge elements and even a full blown Alice in Chains ripoff called “R.A.C.S.” which stands for Rage Against the Cowboys Society. The lyrics are some of the most ridiculous shit I have ever heard. Well-intentioned, but totally ridiculous. Check this out, ‘hey!, You! Are you trying to get a job?, drop your whiskey and your gun, can you read? can you speak? fucking kkk, cousins are not allowed’. I get their point, but couldn’t it have been articulated in a way that doesn’t sound as ignorant as the people they are trying to rag on?
It’s a shame. Hëllvox is a fairly new band and they already sound dated. It is the conglomeration of crappy styles that ruins this recording. Just think about it, a bit of grunge, a lot of nu metal and a healthy dose of Pantera-esque groove metal and what we have is Increasing Hate, a very juvenile approach to metal.
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