HELL THEATER were formed in 2009 and they are from Treviso, Italy. They are a Heavy Metal band and release, after their debut album in 2012, now their sophomore album "S'Accabadora". It has a length of almost one hour, and it was released via Italian Death, Thrash, and Gothic Metal specialists WormHoleDeath. It took HELL THEATER a long time to release their second album and there might be a lot of reasons for that. However, they are coming back stronger than before after more than 10 years. The new album is built around a concept, around a myth. "S'Accabadora" is about the Sardinian myth of a legendary figure s'accabadora, which is a woman who brings Death. If someone is dying, s'accabadora comes to the house, dressed in black, and kills the person either with a wooden hammer or she strangulates the victim. Sardinian people believed she was real until the last century, and the myth was used to scare people. A perfect scenario to build a dark album around.

The album starts with a theatric introduction to the myth. "Laughing Doll" is a grim combination of spoken words and operatic vocals supported by the organ. A perfect way to set the scene. It transitions seamlessly into "Eyes Painted Blood", which starts with a short guitar intro and then transitions into powerful mid-tempo track with traditional Heavy Metal riffing, lead guitar solos, and vocals which are mainly highly pitched, with plenty of Rob Halford vibes, not only in terms of the vocal range, but also in terms of the modulation. It is a strong way to start the album. "A Strange Death" continues with the traditional Heavy Metal sound at a somewhat slower pace initially, but there are a lot of tempo and rhythm changes. The vocals include a few lower notes, in fact they shift in best Halford manner between powerful lower and highly pitched notes. "A Strange Death" has a fairly complex song structure and it is a bit difficult to follow the track.

"Church Of Saint Anthony Pt. 1" starts with the drums and the guitars providing a freezing atmosphere. It is slowly building up tension when the vocals join in. While the verse parts are quiet with the drums, guitars, and vocals driving the song, the rhythm changes introducing heavy guitar riffing for the chorus parts. While "Church Of Saint Anthony Pt. 1" is somehow theatric, "Church Of Saint Anthony Pt. 2" is a mid-tempo song in the best JUDAS PRIEST tradition regarding the guitar riffing and the vocals. The song has again added structural complexity and highlight is the very comprehensive lead guitar solo. "Mamuthones Dance" starts with heavy and thunderous riffing at a head-banging rhythm. It is a very powerful song with some catchiness during some parts. The melodies for the lead guitar solo are epic. There are a few breaks included with changes in pace and rhythm. While the first four minutes of the song were relatively straight forward, complexity is introduced at this point with the pace slowing down, and an extended instrumental part with another lead guitar solo is introduced. "Mamuthones Dance" is one of the most epic songs on the album, and with more than eight minutes playing time among the longest tracks.

"In The Dark Room" starts with a guitar intro and then transitions into a ballad-esque verse part driven by the guitars and the vocals. The chorus parts include some epic riffs and melancholic melodies. The tempo is slow throughout the track. The break offers some theatrical features driven by the vocals and guitars, before the extended lead guitar solo concludes the track. The end of the track was a bit unexpected. "Domus De Janas" has a fast and dynamic start with sharp and heavy riffing. Although there are a lot of switches in rhythm throughout the track, it is one of the fastest songs on the album during the opening three minutes before the second part of the track starts, where it changes the song character as complexity is added. The middle part is driven by an extended lead guitar solo. There is not doubt, all lead guitar solos on "Domus De Janas" are the highlights of the track. It is an epic and theatrical song including spoken word parts, and with almost 10 minutes playing time the longest track. Surely the album highlight!

"Dressed In Black" is a more straightforward song at mid-tempo, and it is the official video release of the album with the YouTube link given below. "Morte Be Thy Name" starts with a slow, tension-building sequence and then transitions into fast track with powerful riffing and a lot of lead guitar contribution. It is driven mainly by the guitars, the vocals, and the drumming. It contains a few mid-tempo breaks, but altogether it is the fastest track on the album. The album closes with the outro "The Legend Will Never Die" and it is, similarly to the opening track "Laughing Doll" a theatrical ending of the album.

The second album of HELL THEATER is a good Heavy Metal album with a lot of theatrical elements. It is a concept album based upon a Sardinian myth and HELL THEATER explore that topic in a very good way to create a dark and epic album. Although the general sound of the album is build on traditional Heavy Metal, HELL THEATER create a framework of complex song structures that allow to include theatric and epic components. The album is well produced. "S'Accabadora" is not an easy-to-listen album, and it will take several times listening to it in order to explore the depth of the album. Fans of theatrical Heavy Metal will dig into it and enjoy "S'Accabadora".