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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
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***1/2 (of 5 stars)
This is the latest from Hellblock 6, and I must say it
is very good. They got all the essentials of a good metal band - heavy
guitars, heavy riffs, solos, etc. Go Die is a very heavy song, and Damien,
which is my fav. track has a sample from The Omen 2 in the beginning,
and the epic song Nuclear Age is very heavy as well. The last half turns
into stoner metal with overlong songs playing the same old riff. Still,
some good shit on here. Glad to know metal exists in PA.
-- Dave :: Terminal
Frost
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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
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This is one of the latest releases on the World Eater
non-profit record label. All the CDs are $5 and 7” records $3 including
postage! This CD was recorded in 15 hours sometime in 2002. The production
is much cleaner and not as raw as on the other stuff I have heard on this
label. This is very angry music (like Carnivore or Slayer) and a mixture
of metal and doom but with more screaming angry vocals. Four of the nine
tracks are over 6 minutes as the band pummels you into submission. Go
Die is pretty punk rock inspired and only 2 minutes. Damien begins with
a sample for a horror movie as the metal assault is unleashed. Nuclear
Age slows things down as we get a more doomy sound with really insane
effected vocals. Lies of the Eyes begins with an acoustic intro mixed
with some samples before intense metal onslaught, not unlike Slayer. Sunday
is a slow DOOM metal track and mostly instrumental with some great acid
guitar soloing, which you don’t hear on any of the other tracks.
This was a studio jam that they captured in that 15 hour session that
became this CD. Cool stuff. Coma is back to headbanging stuff! The CD
closes with the 7½ minute Oblivion, which is a basically instrumental
acoustic track. A very diverse CD and the bands second. Also check out
Burnin’ Doom.
-- Scott :: Lowcut
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
|
This is one pissed off band! Angry at everyone and anyone
living within the vicinity of an earshot will be disciplined by Antman,
the band's drummer and lead vocalist. At least he has two avenues to let
off some steam! All the songs are basically something to do with death,
killing, hatred or a forced opinion. All these songs jam too! "Burnin'
Doom" is a Death Metal meets Doom and Hardcore sonic frenzy and has
9 tracks while "Nuclear Age" has 10 tracks I believe and consistent
with the aforementioned. Something twisted like Carnivore meets Coven
with Autopsy and Pentagram thrown in musically. These guys are just fun
and not to be taken too seriously lyrically. You'll either love it, hate
it or be outright totally offended. Highly recommended for moshers or
people seeking counseling for anger management. These therapy sessions
are only $5.00 apiece.
-- Quintessence
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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
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What a difference an album can make! Nuclear Age vastly
expands the territory explored by Hellblock 6's Burnin' Doom. There's
still plenty of sludge and doom littering the musical landscape, but mixer/masterer
King Gary has done an amazing job cleaning up Hellblock's sound, while
pushing the Philly trio to new levels of filth-infused metal madness.
Hellblock 6 delivers several precise blows here, channeling punk, grind
and '80s metal into a distinctive crossbred product.
You can't go wrong with a raging maniac screaming "I just want to
see you dieeeeeeeeee!" The decisively punk-flavored "Go Die"
is a two-minute death threat that has your goddamned name written all
over it; its raging hostility and driving bassline will make it an immediate
favorite and a sure slam-pit generator when played live. "Damien"
continues the blastbeats, first kicking into hyper-speed, then screeching
down to a plodding doom-metal tempo halfway through the track. The sludgy
riffs and demonic high-pitched guitar notes call forth the ferocious growls
of vocalist Anthony, who sounds like some sort of Satanist reaching out
from the speakers for your soul.
After you've fleshed out the easily accessible punk-metal
numbers, it's time to recline and get lost in a dense smoke cloud of your
choosing. Tunes like "Turned Insane" and "Nuclear Age"
slow the tempo, turn up the fuzz and let the burly power chords fly; the
crushingly loud and tasty riffs suggest Sabbath on steroids. "Nuclear
Age"'s pounding drum finale will kick what's left of your steamrolled
body straight into the gutter, and the nearly-seven-minute epic "Coma"
creates a suffocating musical ambiance that drains the life out of the
surrounding environment. You'll quickly get lost in the intertwined parts
-- just be sure you have your escape route planned, or "Coma"
may bury your ass in the doommetal graveyard.
Add a few acoustic metal breaks -- "Oblivion"
and "Lies of the Eyes" in particular -- and you've got enough
musical variation to keep you entertained throughout the disc. With Nuclear
Age, Hellblock 6 have established themselves as true metal contenders.
Jump on the corpse wagon before the seats are all taken!
-- Andrew Magilow Splendid
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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This Philly-based trio walks the line between punk, metal
and super-sludge-laden doom rock. Burnin' Doom is a raw, sometimes persuasive,
consistently extreme exercise in genre melding. While Hellblock 6 plying
their metal-tinged trade without mercy, the musical results are inconsistent.
The cleverly-named band is at its best on tracks like "War Between
the Worlds" and "Nothin' to Do". These gloomy numbers have
a raw punk edge -- punchy basslines and shouted vocals deliver blow after
blow of menacing metal. "War" eventually melts down into a viscous
stoner-rock fest with wailing guitar and an endless crashing of drums
and cymbals. "Cleanse the Sin With Fire" is metal in the Venom
vein, with vocalist/drummer Antman evilly croon-snarling his way through
the apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist Noelle shrieks like a banshee, accenting
Antman's pronounced barks with ear-splitting precision.
However, on tunes like "Burnin' Doom" and the lamely titled
"Fuck Off", Hellblock 6 can't seem to find their groove. The
title track cranks out some heavy riffs, but never gets its hook caught
in your mouth. "Fuck Off" wants to be a punk-stoner-metal attitude
adjuster, but Antman and Noelle sound more like a pack of baying wolves
than pissy metalheads with issues. The sloppy ending sounds as if the
band gave up before even completing the writing process.
Even with its missteps, though, Burnin' Doom has enough aggro-metal attitude
to satisfy. The Philly trio tosses evil, violence and gruesome metal topics
into the blender and churns them up on the highest setting. With more
time to hone their songwriting and settle on a more focused musical attack,
they could well produce something wickedly good.
-- Andrew Magilow Splendid
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Hellblock 6 / PA Connection :: Split
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Two PA bands, two sides, two songs with awesome artwork by Brian Mercer.
Pennsylvania Connection: depraved dirt doom of the highest order. Hellblock
6: Bong crust that inspires sudden aspects of spotaneous hatred.
-- UnderdogmaRecords
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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
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This disc is a killer, plain and simple. Having just reviewed,
Hellblock 6's "Burnin' Doom" album a few days ago, listening to
"Nuclear Age" their newest material I can really tell how these
guys have made some progressions in their sound, in a very short time span.
"Nuclear Age" is much more doom-ridden than their previous output,
working in a lot of longer songs with absolutely evil sounding riffs that
ooze out of your speakers. They experiment even more with tempo changes
on this one, doing everything from faster crust/metal passages and some
blues drenched groove parts that get stuck in your head. While this experimentation
was heavily present on "Burnin' Doom", it is even more focused
on this one as they write a wide variety of songs of many different lengths,
incorporating many different elements and shifting between different genres
of underground metal and rock. This is definitely a boundary crossing release
in my opinion and Hellblock 6, doesn't sound exactly like anything else
out there. Excellent, harsh vocals once again and some more toying with
samples and stuff like that, this time around. Hellblock 6 has now kicked
my ass twice in a row and I'm stoked for the next record they put out. Both
"Burnin' Doom" and "Nuclear Age" are well worth the
time of all fans of stoner rock/crust/sludge/grind/metal out there. Definitely
one of the most kick ass bands going right now. Check them out!
-- JS :: Daredevil
Magazine
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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Yes! Hellblock 6, have completely nailed my sweet spot with a brutal uppercut
to the chin. This is the kind of stuff I crave that total blues/doom meets
hardcore crossover thing that just completely goes for the jugular and never
lets up. This is some seriously brutal rock and roll here with tinges of
classic rock, sludge/doom, hardcore, crust and grind. It's a little bit
of everything but Hellblock 6, doesn't really sound like anyone else out
there, they've got their own take on a whole slew of genres. The riffs and
leads on this thing are furious and just completely take you by surprise,
they've got a southern/blues feel overall but there's a lot of stuff that
sounds like the dirtier, crust punk/grind style and the overall pace is
faster than a lot of sludge stuff like Burning Witch or Grief (although
when they do hit a slower pace, its pretty devastating as well). "Burnin'
Doom" is something you'll be pumping your fists to the whole time,
I could imagine myself getting some speeding tickets listening to this thing,
just total balls out energy from start to finish. The vocals are fucking
great too, completely harsh and bitter with tons of attitude, similar in
style to the likes of Eyehategod or Iron Monkey. There's no reason for me
to keep talking on this one, you've got to check these guys out, you owe
it to yourself. Hellblock 6 will be in heavy rotation for years to come
in my CD player and I only hope they'll tear through Pittsburgh someday.
It doesn't get much better than this.
-- JS :: Daredevil
Magazine
|
Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
|
This is one of the latest releases on the World Eater non-profit
record label. All the CDs are $5 and 7" records $3 including postage!
This CD was recorded in 15 hours sometime in 2002. The production is much
cleaner and not as raw as on the other stuff I have heard on this label.
This is very angry music (like Carnivore or Slayer) and a mixture of metal
and doom but with more screaming angry vocals. Four of the nine tracks are
over 6 minutes as the band pummels you into submission. "Go Die"
is pretty punk rock inspired and only 2 minutes. "Damien" begins
with a sample for a horror movie as the metal assault is unleashed. "Nuclear
Age" slows things down as we get a more doomy sound with really insane
effected vocals. "Lies of the Eyes" begins with an acoustic intro
mixed with some samples before intense metal onslaught, not unlike Slayer.
"Sunday" is a slow DOOM metal track and mostly instrumental with
some great acid guitar soloing, which you don't hear on any of the other
tracks. This was a studio jam that they captured in that 15 hour session
that became this CD. Cool stuff. "Coma" is back to headbanging
stuff! The CD closes with the 7½ minute "Oblivion", which
is a basically instrumental acoustic track. A very diverse CD and the bands
second. Also check out their CD, Burnin' Doom.
-- Scott Heller :: Aural
Innovations
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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
|
Super Sludgy Rifs, Doomy Feel. Imagine Spazz and Sabbath
Colliding at Full Velocity. Burnin' Doom & Nuclear Age are Both Incredible
Albums. With a Singing Drummer & Riffs this Fucking Heavy You Can't
Go Wrong and @ $5.00 a CD You'd Be Dumb not to Check at Least One of these
out, if not Both.
-- Scabz-n-Bones
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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
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This one continues where "Burnin' Doom" ended.
It has it's good moments, like "Go Die" and "Lies Of The
Eyes" who sounds like some heavy Crust Punk - very nice! But it's
still too much heavy stuff. The vocals on the other hand sounds better
on this album, which is a good thing. If they could give up all that heavy
shit it would be really good - Paddle to the metal and no shit, please!
That's my opinion.
-- HardRockInfo.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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This sounds like a mixture between VENOM, MOTÖRHEAD
and DISCHARGE, which are all good bands according to me. HELLBLOCK 6 might
not have the best vocalist, but I'm impressed that he also play drums,
'cus that must be pretty hard to do. They have a couple of good songs,
but also some that are just o.k. ....a little too many heavy songs if
you ask me. I would call them a middle good band that are trying to be
evil (but they doesen't look that evil). And I would like to call their
music Trash Metal, but it's obviously too heavy....maybe Heavy Trash or
Doom Trash?....or why not Burnin' Doom? Figure it out yourself if you
want to know!
-- HardRockInfo.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
|
Gouging out thick & beastly no-shit
death metal, HELLBLOCK 6 combines solidly hard and classical heavy
metal musicianship with the vocal frenzy of the freshly skinned alive;
when the ripping female vocalist shrieks in for a murderous duet on the
opening “Cleanse the Sin With Fire,” you know you’re in
the shit. Following this you’re completely at the mercy of the hardcore
desperation of “Nothin’ to Do” and the beautifully vicious
hooks of “Burnin’ Doom,” the thundering punk metal of “Limepit”
and “Fuck Off,” the death-surf instrumental “Stingray”
(watch those surf punks cry!), outright classics like “Drink to Think,”
and the fat and sludgy “War Between the Worlds.” It all finally
comes to an end with the apocalyptic cacophony of “Wasteland.”
(Or does it? “You hit me right in the fuckin’ boobies!”)
An instant favorite, Burnin’ Doom is just all too fuckin’ bitchin’,
man, and gives the strong impression that if you were to see Hellblock
6 live you’d be fucking glad the singer was behind the drum set and
not roving around the audience, geeking terrified pencil-necks during
his performance.
-- PANISCUS
REVUE
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Hellblock 6 :: Nuclear Age
|
HELLBLOCK 6 creates the kind of music that
would go well with a fat doobie, dexidrine and a bad disposition. Alternately
aggressive and subdued, mind altering, totally uncomfortable.Really, these
guys know how to blend bud-kissed sludge, doom and grind into a seamless
package. Mellow, flanged-out acoustic pieces suddenly catch fire and transition
into hyperspeed. Drummer/vocalist Antman uses his throat as a sound frequency
grinder, busting voice box before busting a punk-like breakdown and back
to stoned backbeat. It's as if Pink Floyd, Eyehategod and Minor Threat
decided to jam while souls were judged and cities burned. Hard to categorize
these guys with anything other than "heavy", anything else just
doesn't do it justice. Good to see bands like this breaking down genre
barriers and combining styles to create something different. Mutated grind/doomers
with stoned ethics rule.
-- Chris Barnes :: www.hellridemusic.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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Niiiiiice. This three-piece metal band lay
it on thick and muddy, and at times just fast and punked out. Kind of
reminds me of Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza a little bit. I have to say
I liked this. And, I have to say the female bassists vocals - fucking
primal and sweet! This looks like a band to check out, according to their
bio write up. After listening, I think I need to see them live. Check
them out, and give the CD a listen.
-- www.bulletproofpopemobile.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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If rock and roll really is the Devil's music,
then Jesus built a hotrod for this (apparently) Phillie-based trio. Burnin'
Doom makes 10 thumpin,' crispin,' roastin' platforms for bottom-heavy
Death Rock in the grand Entombed mode, smeared with road grease from one
of Lemmy Kilmister's moles. Antman's shouted, hollered vocals and relentless
drums, ladled over the Noelle's thick, fat bass and liberally marinaded
in Greg's ratty guitar, shows the Scandinavian neo-punk cadres how it's
done in the good old US of A. -- think of a party in Gehenna, with raw
beats, tasty riffs and plenty of sauce to ease the pain from omnipresent
flames. "Drink to Think" smacks of La-La Land's home-grown boys
Damnation with its alkie-punk throttle, while "War Between the Worlds"
meshes the band's greaser rock ethic with some of that titular doom, and
there's more than a hint of the old Iommi on the closer track, "Wasteland."
Fast and lethal as razors through flesh, churning with whiskey legs through
apocalyptic fire, Hellblock6 give the world the doombilly soundtrack to
the End Times. This platter smokes like a damned thing.
-- Alex S Johnson ::
Ball
Buster Hard Music
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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HELLBLOCK 6 took the stage
shortly after I arrived and launched into a scorching set. I’ve seen
this Philly trio play a number of times now and they seem to get better
every time. Their music is a mix of doom metal with bits of hardcore and
stoner rock flavor thrown in for good measure. The drummer does most of
the vocals in a growl that fans of more hardcore stuff are likely to dig.
-- Jennifer :: Delusions
of Adequacy
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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From mid-pace to blast beat, with Sabbath
blues (sped up) and death metal interludes, and a singer that sounds like
the grouchiest drill instructor who ever stomped a mud hole…this
is pretty intense stuff. A bit stripped down sounding, with some interesting
bass effects, and slightly punk edge to the metal, but fun and tortuously
hell driven. I think that I hear a little bit of Motorhead coming out
of this CD. Wasn’t expecting that. it’s a bit tough to categorize
these guys (but I’m glad that I got a chance to listen and try.)
-- Neo-Zine.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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Heavy ass Punk stoner rock from good old Philadelphia
PA. Hellblock 6 came from the ashes of the Dead Gerber Babies and with
a few lineup changes turned themselves into a much heavier band. This
is there debut CD and it features ten songs of pure hate and disgust.
I’d have to say they leaned a little more in the stoner rock direction
but you still hear the good old punk rock slip through here and there.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good old shot
of Jim Beam and some nice buds. Check this out and start rockin ……..
-- RazorandBlade.Net
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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So this stoner band comes out of the gates
sounding like the American version of Finntroll (oh, the horror!) and
then by the second track slithers and bludgeons its way back into pissed
off and drunk Manchu territory (that's Fu Manchu in a really bad mood,
probably as bad as when the band found out Mammoth Records is outta business).
Then, in the ever evolving world of HellBlock 6, the listener is treated
to a little bit of hardcore meets thrash, kinda like what the ol' Suicidal
gang was doing back with Join The Army, or maybe I just bring it up because
it's the first vinyl I put on the turntable this morning. Hellblock 6
must be bi-polar or something, because identity is the issue Burnin' Doom
really grapples with. I mean, "StingRay" is a really cool track;
I could play it for my skate friends, but then they wouldn't be able to
dig the title song. Whereas my metal buddies would think "War Between
The Worlds" is cool, my pink-haired and pierced punk contingent would
rave about how Misfits "Wasteland" sounds. Jesus, how am I supposed
to appreciate a record if it's going to draw everyone together and then
have them fight over whose scene it belongs in?
-- David Perri :: DigitalMetal.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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i would say its one of the best metal albums
to come out of the underground in a long time! this cd is only $5 so you
can't beat the price! for fans of motorhead.
-- Geekcore
Records
100% DIY record label and mailorder
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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Here we have a mix of punk/stoner rock and
older sounding hardcore (i.e. old Sick Of It All, Gorilla Biscuits, etc).
While this isn't something I'd listen to on a regular basis it brings
back some memories from days past when I really liked this style of music
and would sit around with my old bro's and pound back more than a few
brews. I like the fact that the bass guitar is brought up a bit in the
mix to give the music that little extra punch. While these guys aren't
writing riffs that are up and down the fret board the music is executed
well and the sound of the production is great. There is also hints of
rock-a-billy which seem to always make it's way into this type of music.
If this is your kind of music to listen to then I would recommend it.
--- BludGawds
Extreme Metal Resource
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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The album was pretty good over all. Mainly
3-4 bad ass songs, and the rest ok ones. Definitely worth the 5 investment.
Musicly its kinda unique. It has elements you've heard before, but not
quite in the way presented. It's sorta punkish metal or maybe metalish
punk, but not at all in a crust/grindcore way. A bit like motorhead vaugely,
but with harsh vocals, and some female back up vocals here and there.
Aestheticly they seem to have a vibe of sadomasochism, self-abusive over-indulgance,
misanthropy, and a rather dualistic animosity towards X-tianity.
--- Bood Samel
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
|
... First up was Hellblock 6. I've see 'em
a bunch of times, beginning when they opened for High On Fire back in
the fall of 2000, and they just keep getting better. A genre-defying mix
of fast, punky moments and slow, down-tuned sludge, Hellblock 6 isn't
really stoner rock, but not doom or very metal either. Check these guys
out, they play a loud, energetic set. Greg the guitarist is a super-nice
dude.
--- Josh27
Once Greg gets the Hellblock 6 cd finished
(very soon) I'll send one to Robwrong for the official opinion (I'm curious
to see what it will be) and I'm going to get a bunch of them and I'll
mail them out for free to whoever wants them from StonerRock.com.
Last night was the best I've ever seen them and it's great to see a friend's
band (who's members have all been slugging it out in the Philly scene
for more than 10 years) is finally being taken seriously. Noelle was fucking
killing it last night, best woman bassist in the city by far.
--- That Guy
... Hellblock 6 really impressed me, although
it may have been the combo of pills/booze/weed. They successfully melded
some almost grind tempos with sludge and punk, topped off with some awesome
scumfuck vocals courtesy of the drummer.
--- ZodiacLung
from the Discussion Forum at StonerRock.com
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Hellblock 6 :: Burnin' Doom
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Right from the beginning of their set a
few things were clear. This three piece has both a female bassist and
a drummer who did the singing. A few minutes later it was further clear
that not only could the drummer actually sing and play, but the bassist
was damn good as well. Their sound was at times slow and thick, while
at other times fast riffs hinted at punk influences. I wish i could remember
some lyrics, but the time since the show has blurred them. I do know that
murder and suicide where the chief themes growled by the man behind the
kit. As time went on, Hellblock 6 got hotter and hotter. Each song came
out better than the last, and whether planned or not, they reached their
peak by the last song. It was full of energy and emotion and got more
than a few heads moving.
- WKDU
Communique
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