Artist: This Is Hell
Album: Black Mass
Genre: Hardcore
Label: Rise

I recently attended an event that had a fireworks show at the end.  Watching the streaming colors and hearing the loud booms from the show somehow reminded me of This is Hell’s new release The Black Mass.  Much like the fireworks show, Black Mass is a raucous good time that hardcore fans are sure to enjoy, but others might be disappointed in.

Black Mass opens with “Acid Rain”, an up-tempo barnburner of an opening track with loads of metal flair and screamed vocals.   The song is almost as caustic as the title suggests, and a fitting way to open the album.  The anger and energy continue with “Black History”, a more subdued and deliberate track.  “Black History” has all the trappings of a great metal song: great vocals, crunchy guitars, and a good solo.  This is definitely a track to check out.

Lead single “Black Mass” opens up with a slow guitar line that explodes into machine gun drumming and great guitar work.  This track showcases the band’s strong points, but “Demons” is the highlight of the record.  Clocking in at only 1:28, it is a quick shot of adrenaline that absolutely rips.  While “Demons” is great without being overbearing, the same thing can’t be said for the rest of the record.

Overbearing seems to be the accurate way to describe tracks that devolve into common thrash moments like “The Last Outlaw”, a bland track that drags on too long with little reward to the listener. The two closing tracks “The Reckoning” and “The Wars: Part II” are adequate to close out the album, but there’s nothing revelatory about either track

I can’t help feeling that this is hell’s album Black Mass is just like a fireworks show–loud, quick, and ultimately a little disappointing.  For all of the flash and noise, there’s little substance underneath the surface.  Some people may really get into it, but for others it will burn quickly, brightly, and then be over.

SCORE: 6.5/10
Written by: Landon Peterson

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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