A trio fronted by former Himsa guitarist Brian Johnson, Hell Promise may be aiming for hell with this full-length offering, but unfortunately, the shot actually lands in purgatory. For on "Aim For Hell", the band unleash a grim metalcore salvo that lacks the inspiration or innovation to make itself worthy of being heard.

The sad thing is, there is technically nothing wrong with Hell Promise. The riffs are tight and crunchy and the songs bash out a hearty amount of sonic vengeance somewhere along the lines of Lamb Of God and Pantera. But pedigree or not, it all sounds rather middle of the road. Especially with a checklist that consists mainly of chugging breakdowns, screeched/barked verses, rigid double kick powered drumming and little else.

Everything here is competent, highly competent in fact. But for all the talent the band have, so little of their own soul is noticeable in their craft. The song formulas are fundamentally similar - to the point where the band just feel like they're going through the motions. Dynamic energy is fumbled by tossing on some more heated breakdowns and a blur of thundering drums, screaming vocals and snarling riffs amounts to little more than a fiery haze.

If Hell Promise could get out of their rut, implement a bit of breathing room and clean up their clustered assault with some crisper playing, they might actually have a good chance at making a go of it. As for "Aim For Hell" though, it remains a listenable thrashy metalcore album with some dirty Southern and Euro flavor panache that fails to capitalize on its own potential.