HELL IN THE CLUB – See You On The Dark Side [Japan Edition +1] (2017)

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I have been spinning HELL IN THE CLUB new album “See You On The Dark Side” for a couple of weeks and it gets better and better with each listen. This Japan Edition comes with a different version of the song ‘Little Toy Soldier’ totally re-worked.

Music can make for strange bedfellows. Hell In The Club was formed by bass player Andrea Buratto from progressive power metal band Secret Sphere. Their vocalist is Davide Moras, the lead singer for folk metal act Elvenking.
But Hell In The Club plays neither progressive or folk metal, but rather ’80 metal / glammy hard rock in the Sunset Strip sleazy style. And they are darn good at it.

One thing can be said about Hell In The Club: they are consistent. They know their chosen genre inside and out, and they rock. Call it what you wish, melodic hard rock with a metal edge or vice versa, and then drop in some sleazy nastiness.

Every song is big on melody, harmony and groove with catchy hooks in both lyrics and arrangement. The rhythm section delivers a solid rock groove and beat. Riffs bristle, and the solos soar. The vocal harmonies are smooth, and vocalist Davide ‘Dave’ Moras got some of that punky sneer necessary for this classic genre.

You got some pretty metallic rockers (but always melodic) in’ A Melody A Memory’, ‘The Phantom Punch’, ‘Showtime’, and ‘We Are On Fire’. All arena-ready and radio accessible, you’ll have to choose between pumping your fist or tapping your toe to the groove. Do both.
For Hell In The Club’s sardonic sense of humor there’s the humorous ‘Houston We’ve Got No Money’.

Yet the more impressive songs come when the band exercises some genre bending creativity. Within ‘I Want To Swing Like Peter Parker’ they drop, appropriately, a bit of big band swing music, and it sounds really cool.
‘A Crowded Room’, the last and longest song at almost eight minutes, mixes melodic rock with a touch of theatric carnival music in the center, then later a voice over piano segue to a symphonic outro. It’s good to see Hell In The Club not standing still or resting on past laurels.

On their first album with Frontiers Music “See You On The Dark Side”, Hell In The Club deliver what they do best; Eighties melodic glammy metal with hard rock groove with a side of Sunset Strip sleazy.
Some songs are really superb regarding this genre, and production is top notch.
Kick ass album. Easily Recommended.

01 – We Are On Fire
02 – The Phantom Punch
03 – Little Toy Soldier
04 – I Wanna Swing Like Peter Parker
05 – Houston, We’ve Got No Money
06 – A Melody, A Memory
07 – Showtime
08 – The Misfit
09 – Withered In Venice
10 – Bite Of The Tongue
11 – A Crowded Room
Japanese Bonus Track:
12 – Little Toy Soldier (Acoustic Version)

Dave – Vocals
Andy – Bass
Picco – Guitars
Lancs – Drums, Percussion

BUY IT !
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/MICP-11374
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