Review: Hades

Hades
“DamNation”
(Metal Blade)

Hades, like early David Bowie, is probably best played at maximum volume, but because I live in a ghetto lord’s tracing paper-walled apartment complex, I’ll have to review Hades’ new album DamNation at something less than maximum volume. The album opens with a motorcyle revving up and peeling out. It’s that kind of metal. And, you know what? For that kind of metal it’s quite good. Basically you have a low-rent Rob Halford shriek-crooning into the microphone with the utmost, gut felt, sincerity. This guy is backed by thick, chunky “chugga, chugga, chugga, tweee!” guitar chords and a rhythm section that understands the importance of a solid foundation. I do have to say it is somewhat bold of Metal Blade to release an album with a burning American flag on the cover in light of the sudden rampant jingoism in this country. I’m all for the burning flag. Burn the fuck out of all flags because a burning flag means freedom. And burn the fuck out of a country that allows a thief and a loser to sit in the nation’s seat of power. Burn the fuck out of a nation who accepts two former oil company executives into the highest leading positions of the land. Burn the fuck out of the country that also lets those same two numb skulls wage unrestricted warfare on a country whose primary purpose is passage for an oil line to deliver that all important Caspian Sea oil to the American oil company barrels. Damn them all to Hades where they can ram their syphilitic tally-wackers into the love-ovens of black-eyed virgins rather than our nation’s collective overly chafed and hemorrhoid sore asshole.