Are Hellbastard taking the piss playing a cod-reggae song called Throw The Petrol Bomb? Well, yes – obviously. But mock-Jamaican patois vocals on an anti-fascist tread as white metallers, and you suspect it’ll leave fans scratching their heads.
Overlooking this odd diversion, they still have it – as is clear on a re-recorded version of 1988 track We Had Evidence, where the quartet segue from an epic/MOR intro into some prime thrash metal that is pleasingly brutal in delivery. Their early influences – primarily anarcho punk and Slayer – are still evident in spirit at least on Arcadia, proving that their radioactive politicised crustpunk may not be quite as ragged as it was, but can still thrill nonetheless.
It’s the whiplash speed title track that reminds listeners how and why they’ve sold a million albums without ever quite receiving the respect that’s due. That woeful reggae excursion aside, we’re glad that Hellbastard still exist.
