THE HOUNDS OF HASSELVANDER (s/t) LP/CD
First I can say that Joe Hasselvander's third solo album is definitively his preliminary solo masterpiece. Deeply embedded in the history and tradition of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, KISS and of course Pentagram, Joe Hasselvander carved out his own heavy sound since the mid-80's. He and Victor Griffin were the ones who characterized the sound of Pentagram during the 1980's and 1990's, and so it's no surprise that his new solo album reminds the listener most notably to records like 'Review your Choices' and 'Sub-Basement'. It's also a continuation of his first two solo records 'Lady-Killer' and 'Roadkill', but with a strong focus on blues-infected doom. Once again he's playing all instruments and if you know about his amazing craftsmanship then it's no wonder that the entire performance is flawless. Every single song is packed with killer riffs, plenty of great memorable vocal lines and very, very big balls.
The grooves will blow your head off, and Joe Hasselvander's badass vocals couldn't be better. All seven songs (including a short intro) merge into a riveting piece of work that teach everyone a lesson in ground shaking heaviness. Various paces prove all those who think doom has to be slow and viscous wrong. Just let me tell you that this is a dumb and brainless cliché, and some newbies should hammer that into their head. Ok, back on topic. In the meantime, THE HOUNDS OF HASSELVANDER became a real band featuring Eric Cabana on bass and J. Boomer Grenier on drums, whilst Joe Hasselvander handling guitar and vocals. Here we have an outstanding record and if you dig Pentagram, 70's heavy rock or the previous releases from Joe Hasselvander than this is a must-have. The album package comes with all lyrics and additional photos and once again Rock Saviour Records did a fantastic job!
(KK)