Hailing from the Ukraine, this is a thrash/groove band that has a notable guest musician (Jeff Waters – Annihilator) playing on one of the tracks, so does that spell a good thrash album?
In the early part of the release, this sounds very British, like Xentrix or Slammer, mainly due to Alexander Baev’s vocal delivery that is aggressive in nature but on the other hand, Hell:On have a vintage thrash sound. Trademark time changes go hand in hand with some guitar work that’s pretty comforting and this is where I lay my cards on the table. The album is very comfortable, ‘Bottom Line’ has me engrossed by its fast thrash assault but I would not go as far as saying that it is ground-breaking. I do have to check the track list occasionally in the early half as a lot of these tracks almost merge into one, but saying this, I can definitely report that the album gives you a nice buzz and has a redeemable spark of excitement about it.
Later their “groove” comes out, and this is essentially their modern influence rather than a Bay Area attack of old. ‘Let it Feel’ and ‘My Doll’ (the latter features the said Waters as guest musician) has a 90’s Sepultura thing happening, especially in the open string work. ‘Age of Oblivion’ is a thrash album that travels well by picking up influences from the late 80’s British scene right through the difficult 90’s groove period with a genuine degree of entertainment. There is a slightly murky sound in the production, this gives it bite, but don’t expect revolutionary music, but it is good for what it is.
(6.5/10 Paul Maddison)
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