Hellwalker – Gutblaster 3000
There just is not much information out there on Hellwalker. It is a one-man band handled by B. R. He puts a little polish on some Old-School Death Metal, but not enough to make it sound like modern stuff. There is everything you expect: blast beats, low tunings, and a good measure of technicality in the compositions. You know you’re getting true Death Metal, but it does not have all the newfangled trappings and overproduced stuff of Modern Death.
https://rotem.bandcamp.com/album/hellwalker
Band Members:
- B. R.– Everything
January 31, 2023, via Rot’Em Records
Tracklist:
- Gutblaster 3000 (Intro)
- Unchained Predator
- Silent Rage
- Six Round Bullet Discount
- Infernum Aeternum
- Spreading Doom
- The Blind Leading The Blind
- Made To Conquer
The opening track is 21 seconds of distorted noise leading into the first full song, “Unchained Predator.” The vocals are harsh, and the riff has a nice chugging rhythm to it. The drums are patterned and may be programmed. They fit the song well and stay well connected to the bass. The song has good phrasing and some excellent lead work on the guitars, tying the Death Metal into a more Melodic Metal. The guitar solo is nicely modulated, pacing itself to fit the song, not just going for a random shred-fest to show off.
“Silent Rage” goes more in the Stoner/Doom direction for the introductory riff, then gets faster for the body of the song. It could be just the vocals that give the illusion of speed. The vocals sometimes go into a strained, tortured sound, adding to the depth of anger you hear in the tone. For a different take on the vocals, we shift to “Spreading Doom,” a Sludge Metal-infused tune with the lower-end growls for the most part, though they do rise on a few phrases. This one has a chantable chorus, and the music wrapped around the voice is properly heavy.
“Infernum Aeternum” has a killer Melodic guitar intro that turns dark after the said intro is done. B. R. then uses a short bass intro for “The Blind Leading The Blind,” showing he can come in from any angle and hit the groove he wants. The drums have better patterning for this track. This is one of the best songs for the drums, but that’s just my opinion. I like the tempo and the phrase shifts he uses on this track.
The album concludes with “Made To Conquer,” a song with a massive, chugging riff and some of the best guitar work on the entire record. Again, that’s just my opinion. Guitarists are allowed to think differently because they know the actual technique; I just like the chug-chug-chug of the initial riff. The melodic solo is also killer, using fantastic tones blending beautifully into the song.
Hellwalker is hard to find information on. Even the files I received with this were pretty sparse, with no bio or pics of the band, so that tells me someone is doing this because they want to express something, not just slap together a record they think everyone wants to hear. I respect that immensely. Having no songwriting talents, I admire anyone who can just hear an entire album in their head, then make that happen. So, to B. R., whoever you are, congratulations on making this record a reality. Job well done!
MZ Ratings:
- Musicianship
- Guitars – 9
- Rhythms – 8
- Vocals – 8
- Songwriting – 8
- Production – 8
- Overall – 8.20
