HELLFIRE 76 hail from Charlotte in South Carolina, USA. Their musical style is best described as Southern Metal. And it fits. This has all the trademarks that Southern Rock has, only with Metal as the base. Plus, it is laced with Doom and Stoner influences. So, you will get the rhythms, you will get the swampy sounds, but you will also feel the Metal running through their veins. And I have to say that this does give a very pleasant sound. And seeing how their latest offering “Rags to Rage” is sounding they enjoy it just as much themselves.

This is not their first release. No, that was the “Hellfire 76” EP from 2022, and yes, you are safe in presuming that I have not heard that one before. But enough about that one, let’s get back to “Rags to Rage”. The fact that this album is just shy of 31 minutes in length seems a very good thing for my ears, as the intensity and vitriol with which HELLFIRE 76 approach their music is very intensive and energy draining. And it doesn’t matter whether you go along with the music or just listen to it, it will drain you of all your energy. Not because the music is bad or anything like that, but because it is demanding your attention all through every song on the album.

As for the music itself, it is quite pleasant to listen to, as I already mentioned. It is also of a very decent quality, which makes it easier to put the album on repeat whilst listening to it enough times to be able to put down an honest review. And yes, I like what I hear. It isn’t setting my world on fire, but it isn’t putting me off either. The songs are strong, punchy and very straight forward. There is not a difficult break or passage in sight. And it is very refreshing that a band like HELLFIRE 76 goes for that style. The only real criticism I have is that I would have liked to hear more variety throughout the songs. They all have the same intensity, the same vibe and very similar rhythms. It would have been nice to hear a power ballad or a slower song. The opening of “The Omen” is a good start, but please write a whole song in that vein. It would also have been very good to experience something very fast and furious, as I feel that the way HELLFIRE 76 makes music that would have easily fit on “Rags to Rage”.