This Is Hell certainly sound invigorated on “Black Mass“. Countless times the album sees them eschew metalcore slickness for a fusion of warts and all thrash and gritty NY hardcore. Yes ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is essentially a crossover album. One that willfully looks back to the days of xeroxed fanzines and 7” pressings as a necessity, not a marketing gimmick.
But for as much as this effort represents a classic crossover approach; it also presents a homage to the rawness of the recordings of the pioneers who made them. This in itself is a somewhat questionable choice. That’s not to say the production is brittle; but there’s an overall hollow atmosphere that weakens the bands attack. Especially in terms of depth and punch.
On top of that there is a minor identity crisis that plagues much of the album. The groups hardcore tendencies stress urgency and motivation. These are perhaps the two biggest traits persistently engrained in the songs. But they are often at war with the finesse and bloat of the admittedly stale thrash heroics.
This Is Hell‘s songwriting has always been at its most lethal when venomous and direct. In turn an extended solo or ripping lead winds up feeling more like an obstruction than an offensive. It’s respectful that they want to branch out and avoid sounding exactly like the Terror‘s and Trapped Under Ice‘s of the world. But the nostalgically evocative mish-mash on hand generally falls flat.
Momentum and flow should be placed ahead of finesse and color. Sadly this just isn’t the case here and the songs suffer as a result. In the end “Black Mass” lacks the enraged fury and thuggish mentality to fully sell its hardcore parts. It also feels a touch too anemic and brisk to flesh out its intended epic thrash nature. Sure it’s a crossover record, but more often than not it finds the band stuck in the middle of the road.
