A NWOBHM era band from Nottingham, England who released a single called ‘Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us’ in 1982. They also released two demos (‘82 and ‘86) as well as a s/t Demo, also know as Scheming Demons. Other songs by Hell include ‘On Earth As Is It In Hell’. They also released a music video to go along with their song “Deathsquad”, which is included on the ‘Save Us…’ single.
In 2008 they reunited with the help of Andy Sneap, and in May 2011 they are to release their first full length album “Human Remains”, containing re-recorded versions of the songs they wrote in the 80s.Due to a series of unfortunate and tragic events, the band originally folded in 1987, but were generally regarded as being many years ahead of their time, and have been cited as an influence by many notable musicians and bands of the genre. They were amongst the first bands to wear proto-corpse paint as part of their stage show, which features hysterical ranting from a Gargoyle- adorned pulpit, along with the use of a pyrotechnic exploding Bible which caused outrage amongst the clergy when it originally appeared in 1983.
Although they were largely ignored by the media and record companies in the 1980's, their music became known through the underground tape trading phenomenon, and the band achieved a degree of cult status. In 2008 they reunited, and were signed by Nuclear Blast.[1] Their first full-length album, Human Remains, was released May 2011.[2] The album topped at #46 on the German album chart in its first week of release.[3]
Hell was founded in 1982, in Derbyshire, England. They signed to the Belgian label Mausoleum, but two weeks prior to the recording of their debut album, the label collapsed into bankruptcy. Kev Bower subsequently quit the band. He was briefly replaced by Sean Kelley, though Hell split up soon afterwards, which led to the suicide of Dave Halliday by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dave Halliday taught Andy Sneap (later to form heavy metal band Sabbat) to play guitar and Sneap mentions Hell as one of his main influences.[4]
The remaining original members of Hell reunited in 2008 to to finally record their album. Sabbat members Martin Walkyier and Andy Sneap agreed to play on the album to replicate Dave Halliday's vocals and guitar tracks respectively, with Sneap also acting as the producer. Although Walkyier completed recording vocals for the entire album, the band have stated that no-one was really happy with the outcome since Walkyier's voice was so distinctive, and the result sounded "more like an unreleased set of Sabbat songs". Kev Bower's brother David (who is known as David Beckford in his career as a stage and television actor) was invited to do a voiceover for the song 'Plague And Fyre' and subsequently joined the band as lead vocalist, re-recording all the lead vocal parts. Sneap subsequently joined the band as their permanent second guitarist.
The new lineup played their first gig at the MFN club in Nottingham on 20/05/2011, playing songs from Human Remains and also Race Against Time's "Bedtime" as a tribute to David Halliday.[5]This was rapidly followed up by a run of festival shows in Europe and the UK, including Metalfest Open Airs in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, Rockstad Falun in Sweden, Download Festival and Bloodstock Open Air in the UK, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Finland, and Summer Breeze Open Air in Germany. The band then went onto perform on the Sweden Rock Cruise, and closed out 2011 by being awarded Sweden Rock Magazine's '2011 Album Of The Year', as well as attaining position #6 in the Metal Hammer 'Best Of 2011' list.
Hell are most often described as a NWOBHM band, although they have distanced themselves from this movement in several interviews, citing that the NWOBHM movement was already in rapid decline by the time the band formed. Their progressive musical style incorporates elements of thrash, power, symphonic, gothic, speed, doom and black metal, encompassing great variety, and with no two songs ever sounding exactly alike. Underlying lyrical themes in much Hell material focuses on the occult and the darker sides of human nature. Typical themes include a distaste for organised religion, alien abduction, political imprisonment, mental illness, and historical events such as the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague. Although primarily guitar-driven, the band's sound is fleshed out by the intelligent and thoughtful use of keyboards and digital sampling to add depth and texture to the material. Their approach to songwriting is often unorthodox, with numerous complex tempo, time signature and key changes, along with a series of atmospheric, theatrical interludes and introductions to many songs.
― Armand Schaubroeck Ratfucker, Thursday, 19 January 2012 15:50 (twelve years ago) link