| Reviews for Helstar's Nosferatu |
| Of Stoker and speed - 100% |
| Written by MercyfulSatyr
on October 31st, 2009
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| A superstitious journey into strange, foreign lands… a horrifying discovery of gigantic proportions… the ensuing race against the Sun to rid the world of an immortal, diabolic evil… such is the story of Jonathan Harker in the world-renowned Irish masterpiece of the macabre. This phenomenal novel has imbued fear into the hearts of millions; it has left a permanent mark on countless forms of art, not the least of which is the realm of music. Many bands have attempted to do justice to Stoker’s tale of terror, and few have truly succeeded. Helstar stands as one of those few: with Nosferatu, they have crafted a dark beast of an album that remains true to the original vision while adding their own unique touch to the formula. Melodic music is not something typically associated with something as haunting as the Impaler-inspired novel, but Helstar have proven it a very effective combination. The album abounds with chilling (but enormously consonant and harmonious) riffs delivered at an incredible tempo – yes, faster than quite a lot of thrash metal; a prime example shows itself in the main riff of “Baptized in Blood.” A fair amount of slower melodies also present themselves throughout, including in “The Curse Has Passed Away.” Riffs often become quite complex, such as during the refrain of “Harker’s Tale (Mass of Death),” and even then display a striking level of consistency and quality. Most songs harbor several guitar solos, exercises in minor-key melody that are made even more stellar by numerous trade-offs between the two incredibly proficient guitarists – a whole song, “Perseverance and Desperation,” is devoted to this purpose. The solos evoke a variety of moods, from loss and despair to fury and mayhem. Corbin and Barragan also support each other throughout via switching between melody and harmony roles; the bass, at times, even functions as a third guitar for this purpose. The rhythm section as a whole proves incredibly proficient: the aforementioned “Perseverance and Desperation” contains both a frenzied drum excursion as well as an unbelievable bass solo that puts Dave Ellefson to shame. The vocals, however, form the centerpiece of the album. James Rivera is a truly remarkable vocalist, able to enhance the atmosphere of basically anything put in front of him – and in an album as atmospheric as Nosferatu, he uses his talents in such a way that overshadows the prowess of many other superb vocalists. Rivera’s powerful tenor alternately broods, shrieks, spits venom, and moans to great effect; his versatile voice leaves its best impression in “Benediction,” where he not only invokes almost every style of singing in his power, but also belts out some of the most twisting and complicated vocal lines ever thought up, his presence phenomenally backed up by the rest of the band - take, for example, the bridge of the song: “Deceitful deceiver, you liar of man Hear this, our God: make this man pray Run from him all, he’s not what you say You will bow down or you’re going to pay!” All together, the instrumentalists and vocalist form a dark, demonic whole – a presence that makes itself felt long after the album ends. Even with all the complex, proficient riffing and vocalizing at work, everything is insanely memorable – so much so that after a while, entire songs can be memorized. This is one of the most spectacular speed metal album of all time; in fact, this is one of the most spectacular of all albums. This I can safely and assuredly say: an album like this doesn’t come along very often, and another like it will, in all likelihood, never come along again. Revel in the horrific glory that is Helstar’s Nosferatu – and when you’re done, come back for more. |
| Horrific Tale….Terrific Music - 98% |
| Written by elmet
on September 20th, 2008
|
| The first thing we notice about “Nosferatu” is while being enormously different from the previous ones, it is still maintaining links with the band’s past. The firs tracks make it immediately clear that we are about to experience something different from what they did before, exploring whole new levels which resulted in absolute musical supremacy. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that there unfolds a musical treasure predating European power metal by almost a decade, though they were never meant to undertake such a mission. Helstar can easily assume the title of one of the rare few innovative thrashers of its time. Something that can be ironically seen as a problem is that Helstar seems to have put all the eggs in one basket with this particular album, which is why it is so awe-inspiring but, on the other hand, leaving nothing for a suitable follow up. This is Metallica’s “Mater Of Puppets”, Overkill’s “The Years Of Decay”, Running Wild’s “Death Or Glory” and many other bands’ best achievements could be cited as evidence about the overwhelming importance of this record. This album could take a few listens to get used to but the more you listen to it the more it grows on you. Surely you don’t find new things in it each time but you do in yourself. It’s an album to change your perception of metal music. With no hesitation almost every single song could be pointed out as a particular favourite. They keep coming one after another like marvels of the universe of music. This is Helstar at its best. Choruses are more settled in the right direction compared to the before material. And those solos, they pop up now and then like an instant lightening and recede like a distant thunder. The first four tracks, the initial one “Rhapsody in Black” being an intro but it is hard to separate it from the following “Baptized in Blood” as they sound like one song , “To Sleep, Per Chance to Scream”, Harker's Tale (Mass of Death) are all in complete harmony with each other and are full of great musicianship. But the best is yet to come. The greatness of the 5th track “Perseverence and Desperation” is just beyond my description ability. For me, this one is the second best instrumental track in the whole heavy metal history next to Metallica’s “Orion”, if not the best. I can’t remember any other song so full of haunting melodies and so rich in musical diversity. Just listen to it as the time shows 02:22 when the climax of both the song and the album is being approached. A metallic phenomenon strikes the listener like no other. One can’t help but wonder how on earth could a humble human being make such an artistic creation that can make its listener feel nearer to its maker?...Of the rest of the remaining tracks only “Benediction” could be deemed average but nevertheless packed with loads of killing riffs that could alone make up an album. This may not be the most extraordinary album of all but very damn close to being one. It’s an album still looking for its true heir, containing knowledge of musical mastery to be passed from father to son. It is a good testimony to the good old days when once thrash metal was so truly beautiful and fabulously rich. “Nosferatu” is surely many times better than the highly praised speed-thrash classics in that this one has solos a lot more brilliant, riffs a lot more terrific and an original composition of the two which together explain why Nosferatu is a class or two above them. |
| Nosperfection - 96% |
| Written by PAANKSTER
on December 19th, 2007
|
| A beautiful interlude, to set the mood for the oncoming assault. Not 20 seconds into the intro, the thrashing starts. It's riffage. Riffage to the max. This, the fourth album by Helstar, does not sound musically like any of their earlier works - you can still tell it's Helstar, but they have taken a more speed metal approach, sounding qutie unlike anything else. This is definitely faster than A Distant Thunder, and while A Distant Thunder was a masterpiece, this is even better. The production is superb - everything is audible without having that polished sound. All of the band members are skilled at their respective instruments. The songs are all noteworthy, not a single filler track, the interludes works like a charm - nothing not to like. And now since that's out of the way, let's talk awesome. This is the album that will end your life. The riffs are coming at you nonstop, you cannot escape them. The competent drumming, the riffs (oh lord the riffs), solid bass... and then vocals. This is not James Rivera's best effort, none the less a job well done. Not once does this album let you down - from start to finish, this is the best thing you will ever hear. Oh lord the guitars. Riffs upon riffs, solo upon solo. Upon solo. Tasteful solos without any unnecessary wank. Aeiliaria and Evernonn is especially awesome. The first minute clearly shows how skilled the guitarists are. It's so awesome I can not think of a single metaphor - human words do not suffice. Audible bass lines to go along with your cup of awesomeness, Aeiliaria and Evernonn is easily the best track. A tough call. Bass lines that gets the job done - especially noticable is the bass solo 2 minutes and odd seconds into Perseverance and Desperation. Technical and well executed. The entire song has a strong Wuthering Heights (The danish power band, not the song by Kate Bush) feeling to it. Obviously this album predates Wuthering Heights, so perhaps it's the other way around. The bass is clearly audible throughout the album. The drumming is competent. There is some showy drumming if you're listening for it, but for the majority of the time the drums are just supplying the beat. And now, my only complain with this album - the vocals. While being very far from even sub-awesome, the vocals are simply not all they could be. James Rivera is an excellent vocalist, so this is rather disappointing, although not a major flaw. This album is easily recommended for fans of awesome music. I would gladly compare Nosferatu to another band, but this sounds too unique. Imagine speed/power on the powerier side of things, but with twice the awesome you could ever imagine. Standout tracks are: Aeiliaria and Everonn, Perseverance and Desperation, Harker's Tale and To Sleep, Perchance to Scream. |
| A different Helstar, thrashier and darker - 94% |
| Written by Xeogred
on February 18th, 2007
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| Here we have the fourth and last legendary album that Helstar would release in their early days. Four A+ albums in a row, not a lot of bands have been able to pull that off as well as Helstar did. All of these could be considered classics. They always kept a good sense of their own style as well from album to album. Their debut "Burning Star" went to show they were very much like say Iron Maiden and crew, but slightly more aggressive, and you could probably easily argue more technically adept (as they've always been). Their next two releases "Remnants Of War" and "Distant Thunder" sometimes showed their thrashier side, as well as their speed metal side. With this album, the band definitely took a dive into something else. Its very, very different from their previous releases, maybe something you wouldn't expect if you heard their first three albums before this. But guess what? Its still pretty damn awesome. This album is hands down a lot thrashier than anything they've ever done beforehand, enough that I often compare this release to Heathen's sound. Often this album also seems to come off as a darker release, at least compared to their previous works. This point is also forged by James Rivera's vocals on here. His singing is quite different on here than anything else he's ever done, and pretty much any other band he's worked with as well. He tends to stick to a mid-to-low range throughout the majority of the album, unlike his higher soaring singing that he was known for on their other releases. By no means are his vocals bad here, but if you're expecting a lot of shrieks and lots of high notes that he's known for, you may be disappointed. I'd go to say his singing on here compliments the music perfectly though, and flows well. His lower singing, along with the pace and thrashier sound, gives this album its aggression. As always with Helstar, the riffs, leads, solo's, and all of the guitar work is completely out of this world. The technical skill displayed by Larry Barragan and Andre Corbin is completely top notch and beyond a lot of other bands at the time. "Perserverence and Desperation" is a guitar instrumental track, very much like stuff you'd hear from Racer X, Cacophony, etc, and its really awesome. The skill is so explosive it truly sounds like something you could hear under Shrapnel Records. Regardless that the guitars definitely stand out on here, as they always have with Helstar, the bass and drums are definitely top notch as well. It all comes together making this a high quality metal venture. Helstar's always put out a lot of stuff with great production, and that is still the case here. Its extremely well polished, everything from James Rivera's vocals to each instrument is very crisp and clear. There's nothing too over the top here as well, no keyboards or out of place sound effects or anything. Would I recommend this for someone who hasn't heard anything from Helstar before? Its hard to say. Honestly, this was my first entry into the band and it took me awhile to really like it. It did kind of have to grow on me, and when I finally got to hear Helstar's other albums I saw how more easily accessible they were compared to this. This is definitely more complex than their other stuff, so it may actually not be the best choice for your first album from them. Either way, this album continues to grow on me each and every time I listen to it, and its perfect blend of speed / thrash is just great. My personal favorite pick probably goes out to "Benediction". Extremely catchy and dynamic song, with some of Rivera's most aggressive vocals out there. And the middle part really gets you going with its galloping rhythm and riffs. All in all, this is probably on my Top 10 Favorite Thrash Albums list, easily. Again, not sure if it'd be the best entry for the band, but if you've heard their other stuff don't shrug this off at all, or if you're a cold blooded pure thrash maniac, this album is definitely a must have gem. |
| Not as good as the previous one... - 89% |
| Written by sAlex
on March 3rd, 2005
|
| Well after the succsesful ''A Distant Thunder'' Helstar made a few things different on this album, and again, they have plesently surprised me. The thing that no one can ignore here are the monsterous riffs. I swear, I never in my life haven't heard such divine and original Speed/Thrash Metal riffs. This doesn't mean that it contains a 3546846 riffs per second, but the whole guitars are composed so originaly and great that it's hard not to just sit and stare into the radio. The album is also ''half-conceptual'', the whole concept is based on a story about Nosferatu (better known as Vlad Tepes - Dracula), some people don't like it but I'm really into these things. Music could be described as Speed Metal flirting with Progressive and from time to time even with Thrash and I can also sense some influences from classical music (Rhapsody in Black). But the album has it's own black spots too. Sadly after the first 6 tracks the whole ''concept'' thing stops and so does the ''riff-o-rama'' and the atmosphere. ''Benediction'' begins with this ''countdown'' intro and shortly after that, the drums and guitars kick in. You can immediately hear that things are sounding little different. The riffs no more hold that atosphere and originality, they're not bad at all, but it's just like you would put a different record on. ''Benediction'' is the most annoying track on the album, it somehow doesn't have any basic structure, but the worst part comes at the vocals. Not James' vocals, but the part when they (the band) altogether scream, yell. The idea is really not bad, but it get's so damn annoying when they yell every second word in the song! Also the next song ''Harsh Reality'' isn't exactly the best song on the album, but it's deffinetily not bad. Then after those two songs things get great again, despite that the ''concept atmosphere'' is over. The sound remains prettymuch the same like on the ''A Distant Thunder'', perhaps the drums are a little better produced, but overall the production is marvelous. The line up remains the same as on the previous album, and that's probably the cause that they've managed to release another good album. Frank Ferreira - Drums: Well drums are played prettymuch in the same way like they were played on ''A Distant Thunder'', but perhaps even more technically. Of course that doesn't make the thing any less efficient, quite the contrary it makes it even more powerful. Larry Barragan, Andre Corbin, Jerry Abarca - Guitars, Bass - Well if you read this review from the beginning, than you know that this is one of the most powerful guitar works ever, at least from my view. Riffs, riffs and riffs again, there's really nothing more to say, you must listen to it at least for the riffs and solos... James Rivera - Vocals: To be honest, my first reaction after I first heard ''Nosferatu'' was quite dissapointing. I was mostly paying attention to vocals (as always) and I was expecting something far more than I heard. ''A Distant Thunder'' has amazing vocals and of course I was expecting to hear the same (that is: his significant fallsetoes). Well I was dissapointed at first, but eventually you get use to it. You have to understand now, I'm not saying that vocals are shitty, but I was probably expecting too much. He pulls off a few fallsetoes here and there but....the singing is absolutely uncomparable to ''A Distant Thunder''. Well you can't have everything perfect, God gives a little bit here, and also takes a little bit there. |
| Among the top five albums of all time. - 99% |
| Written by Antikrist
on July 22nd, 2004
|
| Holy shit! If you work for a company that makes neckbraces, then give this album to your clients. I ACTUALLY HEARD ABOUT SOMEONE WHO DID HEADBANG THEMSELVES INTO A NECKBRACE BECAUSE OF THIS ALBUM! This album has three huge factors going its way. First, amazing speed. Second, masterful classically influenced melody. Third, great variety. THE SPEED: Would you believe me if I told you that there existed a melodic album whose fast parts (which comprise maybe half of the album) were faster than just about ANYTHING on Reign In Blood? It's the truth my friends. When this band is on with the speed, they're dead fucking on, with the riffs full of ultra-fast sixteenth and probably 32nd notes all over the place. It sounds like both guitarists picking arms are powered by the motor of a jackhammer, as the rhythm section here is faster than the lead section in a lot of bands! You'll be headbanging like a wild animal through a good part of the album. Be thankful for the slower parts, because they will save your neck and brain from severe trauma. THE MELODY: Yngwie Malmsteen is known for being excellent with mixing classical sound into his solos, but Helstar do one better by mixing it into their rhythm, while leaving the solos more metal-styled. All of the riffs on the album, whether speedy or slower, all have great melody. The classical influence is done just right, it's not overdone in the least, and you still feel a huge metal vibe throughout. Most of the songs are structured to be built around a backbone riff, with maybe 2 other riffs as the sub-main riffs and a lot of bridges and interludes all over the place. Baptized In Blood has 16 riffs in 4:24. That's not a monumental amount, but once you hear the backbone riff ripping at your flesh like Dracula's claws on the cover, you'll be screaming for more! THE VARIETY: The introduction, Rhapsody In Black, sports 6 riffs in 30 seconds preceeded by a beautiful acoustic section. That's a perfect example of what variety you find through the album. Some slower parts, all of which are beautiful and well done, not sounding forced at all as they do with some bands. And then interlaced with them the awesome speed sections ripping riff after riff right at your fucking throat! Also from song to song there's a contrast between the sound it conveys. Not one of the songs, despite the usage of similar riffs in some of them, sounds like any other. James Rivera's vocals are awesome. They may be a little bit "whiny" for some people, but they are very unique and they complement the music just right. The drumming is not in the league of Lombardo or Hoglan, but it is among some of the most precise I've heard. Buy this album NOW. And it would be a prudent decision to have a neckbrace on hand before you listen. It seriously could happen! P.S. Avoid playing this in the car, you'll speed out of control! |
| Nicely executed power-thrash!! - 86% |
| Written by UltraBoris
on August 18th, 2002
|
| This is definitely the best Helstar album. It's got both variety and strength in all of its songs - far more interesting than Remnants of War, and more effective than A Distant Thunder. We start with "Baptised in Blood" which is a wicked thrasher, that goes through several nice breaks, and also throws in a killer solo or three for good measure. Next is "To Sleep Perchance to Scream" and "The Harker's Tale" which are not quite as fast, but still quite excellent, focusing more on the riff work and the solos. Next, "Perseverence and Desperation" - an instrumental, done by Andre Corbin. One of the greatest guitarists in thrash metal - he and Barragan are the most unheralded guitar duo, ever. This solo completely owns you, period, end of conversation. Then, "The Curse has Passed Away" - a bit slower, and it kind of drags on at times. It's not bad, but it is the worst song on the album. Still, it throws in some kick-ass solos. The first six songs are the theme part of the album: about Nosferatu, the Vampire, who is eventually destroyed. The rest of the album has nothing to do with that. "Benediction" and "Harsh Reality" are pretty damn good thrashers, both very fun to sing along to... "mass has now begun! ALL HAIL!!!" Then, we have "Swirling Madness" - the best song on here, with quite possibly the best two-note riff before the chorus ever devised - more effective than Slayer's "Dissident Aggressor" cover, with similar effect. But damn does that song fucking own. Completely lethal thrash. Then, the album closes with a more melodic number, "Alieria and Everonn" (I think I totally butchered the spelling and am too lazy to look!), which is a very nicely done ballad, and of course they throw in one more Larry Barragan solo, just for the Hell of it. Yes, this album rules. The production is crystal clear, the songwriting impressive, and every member of the band is technically perfect. If you want some very engaging, complex thrash metal that doesn't ever resort to wankery, this is the album for you. |