Dynasties of Decay

Do you appreciate bands that make nothing but simply good music? Hellspike are not interested in exploring the extremes, they do not think that restless “evolution” is a value in itself and they stay away from any kind of commercial approach. Their second full-length takes a clear position: the same style as on the debut (a melange of heavy, speed, power and thrash metal), the same label (the reliable Metal on Metal) and the same quality level. “Dynasties of Decay” combines tradition and modernity in a charming way. It does not sound like the outputs of old-fashioned, slightly speed-influenced formations like Satan and it cannot be confused with pure thrash or speed metal albums. One reason for this is the powerful, natural voice of the lead vocalist. His pretty charismatic vocals sound neither too soft nor overly aggressive.

Of course, it needs no explanation that even a very suitable voice needs a stable instrumentation, but don’t worry, that’s the case here. Hellspike deliver cool guitar sounds in abundance. They walk the fine line between casualty and aggression with masterful elegance and they always have this rebellious element that separates real metal from wannabes like Sabaton. The musical content of “Dynasties of Decay” would have suited Judas Priest well as a middle ground between "British Steel" and "Defenders of the Faith". Too bad that Halford and his comrades decided to use the “Turbo”. Anyway, if you like Priest’s real metal albums or the works from some German epigones (Lions Breed, Atlain, early Steeler), you probably have a similar taste to the boys from Hellspike.

I also like the fact that the Portugueses do not shy away from pretty complex songs. Even “Divide to Rule”, opulently designed with a playtime of more than seven minutes, does not fall victim to repetitive or boring parts. Quite the opposite, the song scores with an enormous vitality. But don’t get me wrong, the pretty straight pieces like “Gone to Waste” also present only lively parts and are not interested in offering half-baked riffs.

But I do not need to speak about single song, because all remaining tracks possess this feature (vitality) as well, although I miss the vocals during the instrumental “On Through the Times”. Anyway, there is no lukewarm semi-ballad or other useless stuff. The guitar player obviously likes screaming sounds more than calm tones and his solo excursions are always very well embedded into the songs. This dude knows what he does, if I am not mistaken. His skills result in almost perfectly flowing songs like “They Live” or the title track. So metal masochists should not buy this album but torture themselves with something else (Sabaton shit, Manowar nonsense or comparable attacks against good taste). The remaining part of the scene cannot do much wrong with “Dynasties of Death”, although an absolute mega-hit is missing. But it is always good if a band leaves a little space for improvement. In the end, the next record should always be better than the current one.

Originality is a necessary thing, but often times it is a thing too heavily obsessed over, particularly when a young band has adopted a very specific and obviously vintage style. For instance, say a band of ambitious up and comers strike out at the tail end of the 2010s and opt to explore a sound born out of the mid-1980s, with the added caveat of the younger band being from Portugal. That is exactly the business that Lisbon-born power trio Hellspike is in, and their level of ambition has yielded not one, but two solid LPs under the Metal On Metal Records banner in about as many years. Those who recall the high octane, off the handle approach of speeding up old fashioned heavy metal riffs that typified Grave Digger's smash 1984 debut Heavy Metal Breakdown and the pre-pirate era of Running Wild will definitely get the picture, and the fact that the self-identified bassist and vocalist Rick Metal sounds like a perfect amalgam of Chris Boltendahl and Rolf Kasparek really serves to ram the point home.

But all of this taken into account, the whole picture of what culminates in this outfit's sophomore outing Dynasties Of Decay is still not fully fleshed out, as this band also draws a fair bit of inspiration from the nastier Teutonic thrash sound that immediately followed the early speed metal craze within said scene. Just one listen to blazing riff machines played at neck-destroying levels of speed and intensity like "Gone To Waste" and "Ruthless Invasion" will conjure up memories of some of the more insane displays of aggression heard out of Destruction, Necronomicon and Kreator, with the latter even veering into early blackened thrash territory a la Bathory circa Under The Sign Of The Black Mark. The shredding capabilities of 6-string slayer Zellpike likewise display a level of frenetic skill to rival Frank Blackfire as they conform to the more controlled and methodical mode of earlier heavy metal shredding normally heard out of Rolf or any other pre-1985 German axe-slingers.

All the same, this album demonstrates a band that shies away from completely splitting the difference between the speed and thrash metal sub-genres, and clear favoritism is shown towards the former though with a slightly more frenzied, modern interpretation of it. The power-infused cruiser of an opener and title anthem "Dynasties Of Decay" definitely fits perfectly into the Gates of Purgatory mold, albeit with a more forceful double kick assault out of drummer Skullthrasher, who is clearly a huge Mikkey Dee fan. Other brilliant displays of melodically charged yet highly animated riff monsters such as the mid-paced crusher "Divide To Rule" and the shuffling nod to the Branded And Exiled school of fast yet not quite thrash brilliance and instrumental solo fest "On Through The Times" cut with the same degree of intensity and flair despite being a tad bit less frenetic, and the brilliant guitar work out of Zellpike on the latter should quality him for guitar hero status.

Some albums try to reinvent the wheel, this one is content to simply improve upon an existing blueprint and comes out with something so fiery and fun that it feels completely original in spite of its clearly derivative nature. Enthusiasm and competency can often stand in the place of originality, and even with these three newcomers to the scene excelling to a fault in the former 2 departments, they prove to not be wholly bereft of the latter. Between the old school sensibilities and the highly belligerent presentation in which they are juxtaposed, this is an album that all but screams that bigger and better things are coming. It's unclear as to whether 2022 will see this band pull a hat trick in the studio LP release department, but even if a longer wait is in the cards, it will clearly be worth it.

This trio from Portugal only formed a couple of years ago, but here we are with album number 2 of traditional heavy/speed metal with a thrashy edge. Hellspike possess one of those sound profiles that reminds quite strongly of a particular band, and the curious part here is that you wouldn’t describe that band with the same genre. I think a lot comes down to Rick Metal’s vocals sounding very close to those of Chris Boltendahl, Grave Digger’s distinctive frontman, since both have a gritty tone in their throaty voices that could make almost any topic sound slightly grim. When the songs speed up, you can see the link from this pair to Tom Angelripper of Sodom, although I suppose Hellspike’s vocalist/bassist sounds subtler than both the others.

If I had to choose a Grave Digger period to describe Dynasties of Decay, it would certainly be the early incarnation, and that mostly comes down to speed. Despite the classic heavy metal production, Hellspike go fast for much of the 45 minutes on offer; not always fast in terms of Slayer BPM, but the energetic carryover from speed metal ensures that the content always seems to be in motion. The guitar shapes in ‘Hegemony Defied’ have the same feel as other early German speed/power metal like Running Wild and Helloween too, relying a lot on chord shapes and palm-muting to scurry through each movement with alacrity. Here, and throughout the whole album, the solos get particular emphasis, appearing very regularly (at least 3 or 4 in ‘Hegemony Defied’) and benefiting from a glittering tone, like water in sunlight. Alongside tracks like ‘Divide to Rule’ and particularly ‘Gone to Waste’, with their thrashier verse construction and drumming patterns, that makes up an exuberant but not very aggressive listen.

What strikes me as odd about Dynasties of Decay is how Hellspike extend their songs to nearly 6 minutes apiece (around 5 on the debut album) without changing tone or structuring very much. I mean, this release contains 2 speed metal songs that go past 7 minutes. Normally, that would get repetitive or at least feel a bit redundant, though for some reason it seems to work here. I guess the relative airiness of the production helps to a degree, because the music has some impact yet can’t sonically wear down the listener, while having some range in terms of genre assists matters too. Little things I notice that go beyond the regular style Hellspike play include the blackened thrash leanings of the harsher ‘Ruthless Invasion’, a full instrumental in ‘On Through the Times’ that seems kind of unnecessary though breaks up the formula, plus the rushed vocal rhythms and pinging bass surges that boost the adrenaline of ‘Gone to Waste’. Not all of these variations work that well, but they succeed in expanding the scope of the album.

I feel positive about Dynasties of Decay because it pays homage without ripping anyone off, while the style vibes well with my tastes in quick melodic stuff. Probably those looking at the new Evil Invaders material and wondering why they chose to write slow parts or whether the frontman could calm down a bit would prefer to get on board with Hellspike.