Album Review: Hellions - Indian Summer

Indian Summer kicks off in instantaneously groovy fashion.

The high-speed vocals match the instrumental energy and the drumming on the album is phenomenal with ostentatious segments on Nottingham providing the “wow” factor in a well-produced whirl. There’s also a delightful percussion section on later track, Technicolour Yawn. Indian Summer is a contemporary take on a traditional hardcore sound. There’s heavy riffing in Ghoul and a satisfying breakdown in Comedy Of Errors that is sure to get you going. When, creatively, the album defers from being unrelenting or tries to be conceptually different it falls flat. Luckily this is seldom.

The presence of anaphylactic guitar solos are aptly composed and thoughtfully placed for maximum effect, and a captivating cello piece performed by Artem Konstantinov rescues a cringeworthy segment of angst in Polyphasic Sleep, creating the focal point for the entirety of the record. Chris Craker contributes a trepid piano piece on Mea Culpa, while Lie is an impressive hardcore punk song clocking in at one minute and 30 seconds yet successfully taking every avenue to pulverise. This helps to demonstrate that the variation and dynamic range on the record is one of its biggest strengths, boasting a great degree of traditional hardcore songs, contemporary fusions and almost monolithic experimentations. Perhaps if the alternative instrumentation was implemented throughout the entirety of the record it would come across as less of a shout for attention.

Hellions’ biggest strength is when they are uncompromisingly heavy. Here’s to hoping they compromise less often.