Hëssler-Skeleton Crew

Self-Release/Independent
2016

It's doesn't seem as if it was all that long ago, but it has actually been five and a half years since Hëssler released it's debut EP, "Bad Blood". Formed in 2008 and once lead by painter, actress, and former model Lariyah Daniels, Hëssler started out in life as a female-fronted traditional heavy metal/hard rock outfit and actively stuck to that formula up until 2014's "Ghost Dance". Following the departure of lead singer Jessica Marie Espinoza (of Jessikill fame), Hëssler decided to cut it's loses and just let band member Igz Kincaid (guitars) handle the vocals. Obviously the EP "Skeleton Crew" is the end result of that equation and given the departure of not just Jessica, but two other band-mates (thus leaving the pair of Igz Kincaid and Erik Michael as the only original members of this Chicago, Illinois-based band) it is pretty clear why choose that title! With Igz Kincaid now on guitar and lead vocals and one-time bassist Erik Michael swapping in his four string instrument for a six string one, Hëssler has not only lost some weight line-up wise, but they have stripped their sound down to the bare essentials. Just released back on Nov 17th, "Skeleton Crew" is a straight, no chasers, artificial ingredients, or BS(!) heavy fucking metal recording with a mean streak a mile long! For better or worse (and I'd argue for the better!) this hard & heavy band has never sounded this alive or...well, real. Like the best garage metal bands out there, Hëssler has crammed years worth of frustration and disappointment into a tight package that is just screaming to be played as loud as humanly possible! At just over twenty minutes, "Skeleton Crew" reminds me of the great $5.98 EP by Metallica. Not sound-wise mind you, but vibe-wise. Devoid of any pretentious nonsense, Hëssler's short but sweet EP is the heartfelt gift of true Chicago heavy metal from a talented band that has been around the block a time or two and shed way more than it's fair share of blood, sweat, and tears. As for who joined Igz Kincaid and Erik Michael in the studio for this EP? That would be drummer Tom Weirzbicky would be With Erik and Igz splitting bass duties, Tom keeps everything in check and bashes the unholy hell out of his kit! God only knows where this wicked musician has been hiding out, but damn, if he doesn't fit in perfectly with the other two guys in Hëssler then I need my hearing checked! This impressive EP is all the better thanks to Tom and seeing as both he and bass player Adam Arling are listed as touring members on the band's Facebook page it looks as if this madly-skilled drummer is here to stay! Hopefully the same can be said of Hëssler as a whole because I love the new direction of this straight-up metal band. That, and Hëssler has come too far to give up now! 

Hëssler-Bad Blood

Hëssler
2011

You would be forgiven if you looked at Hëssler's Bad Blood album cover and thought "great, just what the world needs another Ke$ha". I know that is what I thought when a friend dropped the album into my hands. Vocalist/model Lariyah Daniels is the woman in question on Bad Blood's cover. Thankfully she is not another Ke$sha. Rather, Chicago's Hëssler are a little hard rock, a little heavy metal and a little pop/punk. Playing with more attitude than they can always pull off the band (Lariyah Daniels - lead vocals, Igz Kincaid - all lead/rhythm guitar, all bass and backing vocals, Dano - lead/rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Alex Spadavecchia - bass and backing vocals and Marcus Lee Cox - drums, percussion and backing vocals) sound like they grew up on a steady diet of Lita Ford, Lee Aaron, Doro and Bitch. They also sound like they mean business even if they haven't figured out to express themselves clearly every time. What makes Hëssler appealing is the old school quality of their music. It's nowhere near original honestly. This whole album you've heard a million times before and done better. And yet it does have this charm to it like it's been dropped out of time. If you believe in reincarnation then you could look at Hëssler like they were another 80's metal band reborn for the kids out there. Knowing that they need another option to all the horrible pop diva's killing rock and roll then Hëssler should be looked at as a blessing.

Hëssler-"Never Lost My Way" Single w/ new lead vocalist Jessikill!

Back in mid-January Chicago's Hëssler announced that they had parted ways with lead vocalist Lariyah Daniels. While everyone parted on good terms, with Lariyah Daniels apparently leaving Chicago for Atlanta (and planning to eventually return to music), the split couldn't have come at a worse time for the heavy rock/heavy metal outfit. Many, including yours truly, wondered how exactly this band planned to carry on? How could you even hope to replace someone like Lariyah Daniels? Well, as it turns out Hëssler had an ace up their sleeves in the shape and form of Jessikill. A classically trained vocalist and former X-Factor contestent, Jessikill fills the void left by Daniels' departure and proves the old adage correct that "good things come in small packages"! A powerhouse of a vocalist, Jessikill's name is more then fitting and with a three-track Maxi-single to be released in late March (to be followed by March Metal Madness) Hëssler looks as if they have come out of this whole ordeal smelling likes roses! You can check out the lovely Jessikill in action thanks to the official video for "Never Lost My Way" (a killer little rock and roll number if I do say so!) and be sure to check out the group's webpage which is jam-packed with all sorts of goodies! Ob behalf of all Hëssler fans and Heavy Metal Time Machine I just want to say welcome Jessiskill and say good job to her new band-mates on what is a fantastic pick-up!

Jessikill

http://www.hesslerchicago.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbeiuSDH52k

Hëssler – Comes With The Territory

Self-Release/Independent
2012

It was a year or so again when Chicago's Hëssler dropped their "Bad Blood" EP. What a difference a year made! Is this really the same band? For the most part yes. Unless I'm mistaken only Frankie Snakes Stripada (lead/rhythm guitar and vocals) and Eric Michaels (bass and vocals) are new to Hëssler. They join returning member's Lariyah Daniels (lead vocals), Igz Kincaid (lead/rhythm guitar and vocals) and Marcus Cox (drums and vocals). Last time around I almost had the impression that "Bad Blood" was the sound of a patchwork band. With these new players added on there is more of a sense of stability and continuity for these Windy City rockers. Does that mean the band has changed direction musically? In a way you could say so. The band's sound is still out of place in the modern world of metal. It's dated. There's still a lot of eighties metal influences swirling around in the mix. I still get the Lita Ford, Lee Aaron, Doro and Bitch vibes. You can't help but think that Lariyah Daniels and company keep a huge stack of eighties metal LPs lying around as inspiration. It's not just those female oriented bands that spring to mind though. Motörhead, Accept, W.A.S.P. Scorpions, AC/DC and other seventies/eighties acts creep in here and there into the sound. So yeah, it's still a style of metal that's a bit "outdated". But the good news is that pop/punk feeling I got with "Bad Blood" is almost gone. The only reminder of it is the constant use of gang vocals. That does get a little tiring after awhile. Maybe by the next album they will have figured out that a little goes a long way with that sort of thing. Let's hope so. Meanwhile the band has added in new little touches that really threw me the first time around. Instead of moving forward with their sound on the new album the band choose to look backwards for inspiration. In no way would I ever imply that these Chicago rockers strike the same cords as these greats, but it's fairly obvious from the first spin that Hëssler drew upon bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden for inspiration. Especially when it comes to the twin guitar attacks of Igz and Frankie! Those are straight out of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden albums! "Comes With The Territory" draws from eighties metal and the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. The more times I spin this disk the more I pick up on everyone from Raven to the Tygers Of Pan Tang! It's subtle of course, but it's there nonetheless. "Comes With The Territory" is the sound of a young band emulating their heroes. The band might still have a long way to go as far as creating their own sound, but when you hear the leap from "Bad Blood" to this (and in only a year!) you can't help but envision their next album being a stone cold killer! "Comes With The Territory" is a really good album from a completely unknown band. Truthfully, if I hadn't read a review of this album at Sleaze Roxx first I wouldn't have even known it came out. It just about slipped through the cracks. One brief listen to it's samples though was all it took for me to go out and buy the album last week. Since it's been in my possession I've probably listened to it 3-4 times so it is a good heavy metal release and one that I'm glad to recommend!


http://www.hesslerchicago.com/


http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=H%C3%ABssler-Bad+Blood

Jessikill-Metal Knights

Self-Release/Independent
2016

Released back in late February, "Metal Knights" is the outstanding debut EP from up-and-coming U.S. traditional/power metal act Jessikill. This multi-award winning* 5-piece band (which has shared the stage with everyone from Faster Pussycat to Overkill!) is based in San Antonio, Texas and lead by one-time Hëssler front-woman (and all-around powerhouse vocalist!) Jessica Marie Espinoza. This amazing lead singer is at her all-time best on the aptly-titled "Metal Knights" and as she works her way through a killer (if sadly all too short) set of catchy METAL songs she is joined by a group of well-rounded and equally-skilled musicians. That would be lead guitarist Joey Villalobos, lead guitarist/keyboardist Jyro Alejo, bassist/vocalist Arturo Alvarado, and drummer Alan Cisneros. With all of the members of Jessikill working together as one concrete and complete unit  you end up with a remarkable piece of studio work that will stick around in your head long after it runs it's course! This slick-sounding EP starts off strong thanks to the Iron Maiden-infused "March of the Knight". At a little over a minute this great instrumental drops you right into the heart of the battle and from that point forward it's onward and upward until the closing moments of hard & heavy rocker, "Don't Let Go". As for the other four metallic songs of this well-crafted EP? Well, you really need to hear them all together in order to fully appreciate the magical quality of this killer set of songs. Without spoiling it for anyone I will say this. It's not just Iron Maiden that has influenced this Texas heavy metal band (or for that matter Jessica's old band Hëssler**!). There are actually a lot of influences at play here on "Metal Knights". From hard rock and traditional heavy metal to European-style power metal and even light thrash it's all here on "Metal Knights" and it all blends together to make this six-song EP that much more fun and exciting! All of which means you can't pigeonhole the overall sound of the Jessikill. And that's a really good thing....



*Jessikill was awarded the "Best Metal Band", "Top Local Band of The Year" and "Best Female Performer" at the 2016 SANA Awards. For the past four years in a row the band has also been chosen by the city of San Antonio to headline New Years Eve at the Arneson River Theatre!

**The EP's closing number, "Don't Let Go", sounds a lot like Hëssler.

Hëssler-"The Cure" Single

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Chicago's Hëssler recently released the second song off of their "Never Lost My Way" maxi single. Meant to (further) showcase new lead vocalist/San Antonio, Texas-native (and pardon me if I'm out of line with this one) absolute doll Jessica "Jessikill" Marie Espinoza (formerly of the band Jessikill), "The Cure" is more rock then metal and more slow then the (previously released and also covered here) uptempo "Never Lost My Way". You can hear the number for yourself  thanks to You Tube and while it might not be the thrill ride that "Never Lost My Way" proved to be it does at least provide further proof that this Chicago act can and will survive the kind of line-up shake-up that has done in many a lesser band!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94UuhrGRiA0

Satan's Hallow-Satan's Hallow

Underground Power Records
2017

It goes without saying that Chicago has a treasured history of heavy metal. You can start with the bands Trouble, Zoetrope, and Thrust. These three groups (which I personally love) were all different from one another and yet they started a longstanding scene that is still pumping out cool bands. Two of the more current ones that I dig are Hëssler and Shokker . While these two groups offer different takes on heavy metal they are both enjoyable in their own way. The same thing can be said about Satan's Hallow. Formed in 2013 and featuring the exceptional voice of Mandy Martillo, Satan's Hallow is a traditional heavy metal band that draws it's influences from N.W.O.B.H.M. and the 80's metal scene. This full-length album, which serves as the long-anticipated follow-up to 2015's "The Horror b​/​w Satan's Hallow" and will also be released on vinyl and CD, is the self-titled debut from Satan's Hallow. It is also an instant classic. When I first introduced Satan's Hallow to our readers back in mid-March of  2015 I predicted big things would happen for this band. Mind you it wasn't as if I was psychic. The band's first single was just too good to suggest anything but future success. Those two songs ("The Horror" & "Satan's Hallow") not only show up on the band's new album, but they are surrounded by even better material! Frankly I have no idea how that is even possible!! Starting off with the killer number "Reaching For The Night", "Satan's Hallow" will be will one of 2017's "Top 10 Debut Albums"!! First off there are no duds on this album. Each song has been worked over in order that they are at the peak of perfection. Credit goes to not only Mandy Martillo*, but the album's line-up of:  Von Jugel (lead and rhythm guitar), Steve "Lethal" Beaudette (lead and rhythm guitar), Jose Salazar (bass), and Patrick "Rüsty" Glöckle (drums). You would be hard-pressed to find a unit this precise. Collectively-speaking, Satan's Hallow crafted a heavy metal album that is one for the ages! The shear talent of these five musicians is nothing short of amazing and it results in a near-perfect debut!! The album's new tracks are "Reaching For The Night", "Choir Of The Cursed", "Hot Passion", "Black Angle", "Moving On", "Still Alive", and  "Beyond The Bells". When you combine them with the two tracks from aforementioned single ("Satan's Hallow" and "The Horror") you get this wicked journey that you must hear from being to end. With nods of appreciation and/or sincere love also shown for Mercyful Fate, Acid, and Warlock, Satan's Hollow has magically transformed it's core influences (N.W.O.B.H.M. and 80's metal) into something distinctly original on their first album. If you call yourself any kind of heavy metal fan, "Satan's Hallow" is an obligatory pick-up. Welcome back you Chicago metalheads. Next time let's try not to be gone for so long!   



*Mandy has been dubbed "An American version of Doro" by others before me and I won't argue that point. It's more of a compliment than anything else. Especially seeing as she excels as the lead singer of this buzz-worthy band!