Acid was their name and metal was their game. Over the short span of 5 years and 3 albums, these cult legends singlehandedly put Belgium on the map as far as metal was concerned. Sure, there were no shortage of like minded leather-clad bands happening right alongside them. Killer, Ostrogoth, Crossfire, and Warhead immediately come to mind. Yet it’s Acid, in all their speed metal mystique, who ruled the roost, remaining the go-to Belgian metal band for headbangers of all ages decades after their demise. Fast forward over 40 years and countless Acid worshippers later, a new iteration of the band has arisen with a vengeance.
Branded Kate’s Acid, this latest vehicle is spearheaded by legendary Acid frontwoman, Kate De Lombaert. Joining her in this effort, a group of young metal musicians, each with a reverence and deep understanding for this band and their legacy. Together, Kate and company have unleashed upon the world Hellbender: The debut album from Kate’s Acid and the first time we’ve heard Kate on a metal album since Acid’s 1985 swansong, Engine Beast. After so many years away from the scene, it’s easy to approach an effort like Hellbender with skepticism. Surely, at it’s best, it wouldn’t touch the brilliance of those early Acid albums, right? Wrong.
Defying every law of nature there is, De Lombaert hops behind the mic and, armed with her new headbanger crew, picks up right where Engine Beast left off. Hellbender is an all you can eat offering of true, unrelenting, classic metal, boasting its fair share of both speed and force. Obviously, the production is far more cleaner and compact than the original Acid days, yet without ever sacrificing the ferocity of the songs themselves, and let me tell you, there are some high caliber ragers on here! Starting with the opening title track, Kate and the gang hit the road running, treating the listener to a barrage of turbo-charged riffs, frenetic double bass drumming, and her legendary bombastic vocals.
Yes, even after a four decade absence, De Lombaert sounds the exact same as she did in the olden days, bellowing her way through neck-breakers like “The Lightning Conductor”, “Do Not Burn the Witch”, and “Valkyrie”, as well as rough and ready slabs of Belgian steel with nods to Priest like “Taking Back My Wings” and “Buccaneers”. We can hear in parts where she doubles her vocals for added dramatic effect, or intersperses layers of harmonies, but by and large, there is zero studio magic to be detected on this album. Hellbender is pure, raw, and live through and through, which is exactly what I want from a release in this nature.
Aside from a curveball ballad to close things out (“Air Raid”), Hellbender is a nonstop slab of Belgian metal mania, bursting with thrilling songs and absolutely electric performances. De Lombaert has assembled a hell of a band to bring this vision to life. While two of the members featured on the album have since departed (guitarist Geert Annys and bassist Camilo Ortega), I’m confident the current lineup, already out performing these songs live, will strike back even harder with another album in due time. I highly doubt they’ll follow the same regiment of Acid circa ’83 (Remember, both their eponymous debut and Maniac were released less than a year apart), but as long as we hear from them before 2067, I’ll be content!
8 out of 10
Label: High Roller Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Warlock, Savage Master, Judas Priest