A female fronted band from Chicago you say? Well this is new! Heavy metal and Hard rock infused with a dash of punk here and there. Hessler who have played with the legends that are W.A.S.P seem to want to give a refreshing view on metal and to be honest if Blackie Lawless likes them well I’m going to give them a go too...So in goes their debut album..
Impressed by the intro of the first track ‘Shark Attack’ I lay back to what I think could be a delightful album. However no sooner had my back hit the sofa that the terrible drumming and equally as terrible vocals (think Gwen Stefani with a sore throat) popped in. Not the best track to start the album off with. The lyrics a little on the cheesy side “Once I sink my teeth in and my eyes fade to black, you’ll be another victim of a shark attack” however; the guitar melody in this is a winner.. That’s about it!. ‘Crash n Burn’ enters with another great intro, the sounds of wind and a soothing guitar riff... beautiful! Even the “ HEY, HEY, HEY etc... etc.. bit isn’t too bad. The vocals on this one a little more fitting too. I would actually download this one, forget buying it though!. ‘Windy City, Wild Child’ is a nice little up-tempo number dedicated to their home town Chicago. Catchy lyrics throughout and a ridiculously good guitar solo after the middle section and the drumming, much better!
A little change with ‘Kamikazi’ with the odd almost circus sounding riff and drumming which melts into a punky drum beat that’s good enough for a little head bang (if you’re that drunk). Definitely different but not the strongest track on the album. ‘Scarlett’ with the sound of rain and an acoustic guitar shows off the singer Lariyah’s vocals a little more. OK she’s no Doro Pesch but there something there.
Moving on to the last and titled track ‘Bad Blood’ with its tinny drums (Metallica – St Anger? Ewww) and dodgy recording it sounds like it’s been done in their own garage. On the good side the guitar all through is fantastic, just needs the volume pushed up a bit. Interesting ending though with the sound of heartbeats...
Ok so not the most original or spectacular album but, for a first album it certainly isn’t the worst I’ve heard either. A decent recording studio and a few vocal lessons wouldn’t go amiss though!
http://www.hesslerchicago.com
Charlene Rance
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