HÄLLAS

DEBUT EP

As far as progressive rock goes, Sweden is the gift that keeps on giving with seemingly no end in sight of extraordinary bands emerging from this nation of just over 10 million inhabitants. Emerging from the interior city of Jönköping is yet another band that has been catching the world's attention in the last few years. HÄLLAS is one of those retro bands that adapts older sounds to the newer sonic palettes of the 21st century.

The band formed in 2011 and was inspired by various artists ranging from Wishbone Ash, Kebnekaise, Anekdoten, November, Camel as well as disparate genres ranging from black metal to synth pop. The lineup has remained the same since the band's inception with the members Tommy Alexandersson (bass, vocals), Alexander Moraitis (guitar), Marcus Pettersson (guitar), Kasper Eriksson (drums) and Nicklas Malmqvist (keyboards).

This four-song self-titled EP was released independently in November 2015 and set the stage for the retro sounds that HÄLLAS has amalgamated into its own with a little Wishbone Ash blues rock mixed with Black Sabbath heft which makes this feel like a relic from the 70s with those classic guitar stomps, bluesy guitar licks and that familiar vocal style that sounds more like something from the Blue Oyster Cult but overall the musical flow comes off more as something Uriah Heep might have released in the early 70s.

HÄLLAS needed a bit more time to develop its sound a bit as this earliest offering is a bit too retro for my tastes and sounds more like a tribute to the past than anything innovative but yet this little EP sets the stage for greater things to come and the band nails these retro sounds quite well which accompanied by the benefit of a modern production job makes this a delight to listen to however at this point HÄLLAS is just getting warmed up. This one is probably best for those who have already warmed up to the band's sound but it's not a bad place to start either since it's only 24 minutes long.

For the first part of their "adventure rock" trilogy, Swedish retro rockers HÄLLAS decided to just dip their toes in the murky headwaters of the early 1970s with a self titled EP that even concludes with a self titled track. At this point this is closer to good old fashioned head banger rock than the pastel bell bottomed sound of the full(LP)- length pair of released that would follow in the next half decade. While this works well on the ELOY meets BLUE OYSTER CULT meets JETHRO TULL like debut "Autumn in Space" and the SABBATH shaded assault of "Insomnia", by the time of "Tale of a Tyrant" the thrashing has irrevocably crossed over into pastiche, and licks with more than a whiff of "21st Century Schizoid Man" will either put you off or send you over the moon. "Hällas" offers clues as to further progression but ultimately ensnares itself in a form of heavy rock cage dance.

Thankfully, this release earned sufficient accolades to inspire the band to carry on and ultimately complete the trilogy, while most importantly evolving their own style that is so much more than a brimming basket of influences, though yes they do offer that as well!