Hellspawn
“The Great Red Dragon”
2012
Sometimes there is nothing wrong with a little standard, straightforward death metal. Hellspawn is a band that seems content in not trying to rewrite the book on how death metal should be played. This Polish bands second full-length record titled The Great Red Dragon is about as standard as death metal gets while managing to stand out simply because of the frenetic power and sheer strength of the performance. This album is a cavalcade of ferocious drumming that blasts it’s way through dueling fundamental death metal guitar riffs that creates an overall dominatingly sturdy experience. Musically there is nothing truly original on The Great Red Dragon. It doesn’t jump genres or make any attempt to push death metal to places previously uncharted. Singer/bassist Mariusz Konieczny does his job well as a customary deep growling death metal singer and filling the low end; keeping all the pieces glued together. The twin guitar attack from Daniel Drosinski and Marcin Garyga gives us a full on, thick, and heavy trade of riffs and a flourish of minor leads. And Robert Kolman is a controlling presence on drums, jumping between speeds and adding his own bits of flair. This is a short full-length. With ten songs at only twenty-seven minutes, these songs don’t drag themselves out. They jump in blazing and jump out just as quickly. Only three of the ten stretch passed the three minute mark. Perhaps the songs should have been granted a bit more time to grow and express themselves. The Great Red Dragon isn’t the most original death metal album you will ever hear, nor is it the best. But what it does it does well and what is does is deliver a strong death metal base. I hope in the future that Hellspawn can build on this base.
Tracklist:
1. The First Banner in the Fields of Devil
2. Word Becomes Flesh
3. Hellspawn
4. Diabolic
5. The Great Red Dragon
6. Intro to the Revelation
7. Revelation of the Great Red Dragon
8. The Dice Are Cast
9. The Greatest King Among Demons
10. An Obelisk of the World
https://www.facebook.com/Hellspawn.Metal
Members:
Mariusz Konieczny – Bass/Vocals
Robert Kolman – Drums
Daniel Drosinski – Guitars
Marcin Garyga – Guitars
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
~Kris