The Hounds of Hasselvander-s/t

Rock Saviour
2007

Joe Hasselvander is most known for having played with Pentagram and having been the drummer with Raven for the last two decades. However he has been involved with numerous other projects including playing on over half of Blue Cheer's last album. He has indeed been a very busy man over the last thirty years and this is his most recent project. This certainly leans more towards Pentagram in terms of tone although the bulk of the songs are generally heavier and slightly faster. It's a bit like early doom combined with late 1980's metal and there is probably more than a hint of Joe's idols Blue Cheer stirred into the mix as well. Since Hasselvander played guitar for Pentagram on some albums the songs here have that same thick as molasses feel although perhaps even more aggressive. So the overall sound is perhaps right in between doom and classic metal and has enough of each style to appeal to fans of both. The approach is basic without a great deal of variation, but the thickness of the music and the killer drumming more than make up for it. This is all Joe's baby because he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, did all the vocals and co-produced the album. Needless to say this is must have for fans of Pentagram for sure, fans of doom and more classic style metal will probably find enough about to enjoy as well. Hasselvander has added members for a live line-up and they have played a few shows in recent months.

http://www.myspace.com/thehoundsofhasselvander