Harllequin
Hellakin Riders
Rating
Style: Progressive Thrash
Release date: 19 October, 2012
Playing time: 63:04
 

The band founded in 2005 in Sao Paulo Brazil and delivers a mixture between thrash and power metal with a progressive touch. Although they have already released a CD called 'Archangel Asylum' in 2008, this album can be called their debut because all of the songs on that album are on this release too.

The music is rather heavy and consists of a potpourri of influences; Iron Maiden, Lanfear, Exodus, King Diamond, Nevermore, Testament, Dream Theater and Deep Purple are just a few bands I hear parts of. The band gets away with it, the songs don't sound like some musical rags glued together.

On the other hand, the band has some more modern sounding parts in their music too. Although the music is nice to listen too, my attention drifts away after 50 minutes. The over an hour of music is just too long for me, I think the songs are just not interesting enough for me to keep me focused for such a long time. Another thing I had to get used to is the high vocals of Mario Linhares (ex Dark Avenger). In my opinion he sometimes exaggerates and occasionally sounds like wearing a too narrow pair of jeans, false!

All in all, not a bad concept album based on the saga 'Bando do Arlequin', a Spanish legend about a group of knights who are banned in a dimension between live and death forever, but even that can't persuade me to give them more points. With less false vocals the album would have gained at least 15 points more...


Tracklist

01. Three Days in Hell
02. Archangel Asylum
03. Going to War
04. Overshadow
05. King of the Dead
06. Hallakin Riders
07. The Riddle
08. The Bride
09. Daredevil
10. Ancestors

Label: Metalville
Distribution: Flying Dolphin Entertainment
Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries
Date: 20 October, 2012
Website: www.myspace.com/harllequin