The extent of USPM veterans Helstar’s activity over the past decade has largely consisted of playing Hell’s Heroes and then watching the cavalcade of pictures featuring frontman James “Nosferatu” Rivera posing with every female attendee of said fest via Instagram. Mind you, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’d be nice to see the guy sinking his fangs into some bearded, beer-bellied, Sodom-shirted headbanger for a change, you know, just to keep things equal. Anyways, its been 9 long years since Helstar have last graced us with a new album.
Now while I and everyone else largely gravitates towards their undefeated ’80s run, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious of what this band was capable of in 2025, the answer to which lies in their 11th studio album, The Devil’s Masquerade. Like every Helstar album before it, Masquerade is helmed by founding guitarist Larry Barragan and the aforementioned Rivera. Filling out the rest of lineup are drummer Michael Lewis, bassist Garrick Smith, and newcomer guitarist, Alan DeLeon Jr., who’s shockingly the only new member of the bunch since the release of 2016’s Vampiro.
By and large, The Devil’s Masquerade is the embodiment of the age old philosophy, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Instead of clumsily jumping upon the modern metal bandwagon, Helstar sticks to what they do best, which is merciless USPM with flashes of blinding speed and thrashing aggression. This is coupled with an extremely dark, macabre atmosphere, reminiscent of ’80s occult metal titans Satan’s Host (the evil cousins of Jag Panzer) and of course, Mercyful Fate. Put these elements altogether and you’ve got an album that, even at its most pedestrian, is enjoyable for the most part.
Besides the one-dimensionality of the songwriting (especially come the back half), my only real qualm with this effort are Rivera’s vocals, or rather how they were produced (or mis-produced) on this album. At some points, his voice is too front and center, almost uncomfortably so (“The Devil’s Masquerade”), while at others, it sounds as if the band is playing in one room and he’s singing in another (“Seek Out Your Sins”). When it isn’t one of these two extremes, the result is, again, pleasant. Though the songs never ascend to the glorious heights of Helstar’s ’80s output, they are perfectly fine slabs of USPM nostalgia with an evil twist.
Did I expect more from Helstar for their first album in nearly a decade? Honestly, not really, and neither should you. While there are no shortage of newer acts today tackling the classic USPM sound and doing far more interesting things with it (i.e. Helms Deep, Vultures Vengeance, etc.), this isn’t to say The Devil’s Masquerade isn’t worth your while. Helstar still brings the bite, fangs and all, and it would sure be cool to see them bring these songs to life on a stage outside of Houston, Texas. Until then, let’s all protect our necks from the eventual bloodletting that will ensue. “Nosferatu” is not one to be toyed with!
6 out of 10
Label: Massacre Records
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: Jag Panzer, Omen, Mercyful Fate