Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Hellfire - Requiem For My Bride - 2005 - Sonic Age Records

Track Listing1. Fallen Mary 2. Road To Hell 3. The House 4. Needle Dance 5. Twist Of Knife 6. Wired Tale/Deadly Lullaby 7. Insidious Treat 8. Defection 9. ...the Answer

It has been a long time since I have heard power metal in Poland. I'm probably going to have to go as far back as Iron Maiden's "Behind The Iron Curtain" home video to remember the last piece of metal out of Poland that wasn't death metal. With bands like Vader, Decapitated, Lost Soul, and Sceptic ruling with an Iron Fist in Poland, it is indeed a pleasure to see a band like Hellfire pop up. Hailing from Warsaw, this sadistic four piece began their career in '99, going through several lineup changes before recording their self-financed debut "Recoffination" in 2003. Shortly after that release the band showcased a new single to Greece's Sonic Age Records. They were signed by the label and recorded their sophomore effort, "Requiem For My Bride".

It is really interesting to hear different countries take on power metal. With Japan you get a lot of downtuning, Finland adds in the keyboards, Sweden throws in plenty of cheese, and German, well those guys just put in the determination and die hard attitude. Poland is all new to me. From seeing what has come out of there in the past it seems like the metal fans there are very angry, very violent when it comes to the ingredients put into their metal. Perhaps it is the tough government, strict religion codes, and the isolation from the outside world that plays into the metal minds, but for now, there is something different to offer the metal community, a new group callled Hellfire, who play a good mixture of modern power metal and beefed up thrash, adding in the sadistic songwriting of the supreme metal horror author, Mr. King Diamond.

With "Requiem For My Bride" the band showboat their horrific nature, penning a concept album in the same vein as King Diamond's "Abigail" and "Voodoo". With some spooky passages, atmospheric effects, and an eerie vibe throughout, Hellfire really put themselves on the metal map with a stunning debut that really showcases the band's musical abilities. I'm not a huge fan of vocalist Tomasz Twardowski, who by all rights is probably a damn fine vocalist. My main problem with the vocals is the heavy accent, which really distracts from me fully enjoying this release. At the same time the guitar work from Kuba Olejnik and Artur Grabowski is just flawless, really combining a sonic power metal firestorm with the chaotic energy of modern day thrashers. The band moves so fast at times that the album could really fit the death metal mold at times. Think of fast riff monsters like Annihilator or Destruction crossed with King Diamond and Nevermore. That sort of gives you an idea of just what it is that Hellfire does. With huge smashing fills courtesy of drummer Grzegorz Olejnik, this Polish powerhouse is well on their way to global superstardom in our metal world.