Harllequin
Hellakin Riders

Brazilian harlequins are releasing their first album on a label, their first album Archangel Asylum was a self financed and released thing that had the same tracks as this album which has the tracks in another order and a track that wasn’t on the first album. It is an album based on a saga called Bando do Arlequin which is a story of a spanish group of knights who were banned in a dimension between life and death, sounds like a funny story and the cover artwork looks very good. The band split up in 2008 and was then reformed in a different uniform three years later and now four years later we have their debut album released here in the Europe courtesy of a flying dolphin. It is said to be a work that mixes thrash, progressive and traditional metal according to the press information. So what dark avengers can we expect from these Hellakin riders?

Have you ever heard Dark Avenger? if you have, imagine them a bit thrashier and you know what you have, now let us like all other review sites ignore a desription and move to the conclusion. Nah, I couldn’t do that, it is powerful heavy metal with some elements of thrashiness with a singer that spends his vocals chords on high pitched vocals and some falsetto stuff. The album is slightly varied and it has a somewhat epic touch to it although the epicness of the concept is a bit illusive but shows up here and there, like in the title track for instance. The production is good, more powerful than most european counterparts and even though the progressive elements alludes me I think this has an interesting musical feel to it. The album however is rather long reaching over the hour, maybe that was the progressive bit.

It starts with three days in hell, I don’t like hell it is full of idiots and an overall terrible place, but it has a good soundtrack. I think three days a bit long for an opener though but still a good tone setter for this album. I also enjoy the title track, it is here I feel the storytelling comes out for real and here the concept actually works, the track is great as well, the definitively best track on this album it is as well. But the album overall has its flaws in that it is trying too hard to be everything rather than being something which makes it end up being schizophrenic. It feels a bit incoherent this album and a bit like it lacks direction.

It is not like it is bad but all the time it feels like it could have been better, I mean the singer is brilliant and the music is good and the ideas seems good but but doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. Another problem is the over an hour long playing time which makes the album feel a bit too long which makes it difficult to really get into as well. But sure I think it is good and the title track is very strong but the album is overall a bit letdown by trying to hard to be too much.

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