I must admit, Hellhumm wasn’t on radar until I got their CD, and of course my curiosity needed to be satisfied. I was interested to get to know their work better, especially since they are a Spanish band. Coming to the third song, I am not so keen of labelling them as EBM, as they lean more towards harsher synth-pop, sticking to a more minimalistic expression. I don’t have so many influential names to mention here, but somehow they do remind me a bit of Psyche, especially the vocals.
In some songs the retro vibe is really evident, but as I like the old school sound, those tracks are in fact my favourites; they rely more on the beat and less on the melody, which you can hear on “Modesty”, “Gravity (Restraint)”, “Bitter Bliss” or “Scum” –they show more of the EBM influence.
The rest of the album is more poppy but still dark, melancholic and emotionally heavy at times. The highlight of the album for me is “Hounds”, as I find it the most poppy and with quite a positive vibe that would do well on the dance floor. The proof that this band is as well melodically oriented are songs as “Feeling Fader”, the opening track “Scramble”, “No Dawn” or “Too Late”, that you would probably not hear in the club, but are welcome for home listening.
As this is their debut album, I am definitely interested in hearing more from them, as they show a great potential, talent and a sense for a good quality hit song. Thumbs up for these guys!
Hellhumm are:
Ignacio Ysasi: Voice, guitar, lyrics //
Sergio Torroba: Synthesizers, electronic drum, samples //
Javier Calvo: Programming, synths and Software
