Helstar, Glory of Chaos

The first time I heard about Helstar was in the pages of Hit Parader. The magazine had a feature on new bands, with Houston’s own Helstar there, and the first words mentioned were “Jose Elliot Chupa Los Huevos.”

This was the bands response to Def Leppard singer Joe Elliot greeting the audience in Texas with, “How are all you wetbacks doing?” The Englishman made a mistake in slang that was easily forgotten in the pre-Internet age. Seeing that there was a band from my city in this national magazine, however, alongside Kiss and Iron Maiden made me a fan of theirs. Helstar delivered some really good metal releases through the years but, like many, lack of big success along with time caused them to split.

Now original members singer James Rivera, guitarists Larry Barragan and Robert Trevino, and bassist Jerry Abarca, along with drummer Mike Lewis, have joined together and released Glory of Chaos, a fantastic metal endeavor that stacks up well against not only their catalog but all of metal’s. What strikes you initially is how well James’ voice still sounds. He has always had a unique voice that’s able to hit the high notes but also retains a lot of power. It still resonates well, and its intensity is complemented well by the music.

While the band has always been metal, they seem to have kicked up the testosterone on this one.  The aptly named tracks “Pandemonium” and “Bone Crusher” help to get Glory Of Chaos going with a high level of intensity, but the album thankfully doesn’t fall into the throwback metal cliché that’s running rampant nowadays. Incredibly quick, precise, and heavy guitars pour over huge rhythms that just keep pounding throughout all 10 tracks. It all culminates with  “Alma Negra,” a nut-buster of a song that will cause many trips to the emergency room with all the damage that it will cause by provoking sweaty dudes slamming into each other in the pit.

When they first came out, Helstar may have gotten lost in the shuffle with all the bands that were out at that time. Glory of Chaos should help ensure that the band finally get its due.