HITTEN was formed in 2011 in Murcia, South East Spain, and followed the usual path of releasing demo's before they made their first EP. After another EP, and their 2014 debut album "First Strike With The Devil", they were signed by High Roller Records, which isn't really a surprise when you listen to what HITTEN has to offer.

Classic (almost Teutonic) eighties Heavy Metal is what you get to hear on HITTEN's fourth full album "Triumph & Tragedy". And, as the band hails from Spain, you'll find they have the production side of it all down (too) perfectly. This really does sound impeccable. The other positive note that needs to be mentioned is that the music and voice are very compatible and complement each other effortlessly. The songs on the album are all very pleasant, very well written. They are also played perfectly, and have been recorded in a way that is very enjoyable.

You know that when I word my praise like this there's also some criticism on it's way. For me it is that this is just too clean. All the rough edges have been filed away,discarded without ramifications. And to me that is a real pity, because if they would have not done that, HITTEN would have sounded a lot more exciting, a lot less smooth. Songs like "Under Your Spell" and "Light Beyond the Darkness" would have been able to compete with the DOKKEN classic tunes of the eighties. Now it's like it's a cheap cast off, which these brilliant songs don't deserve. Also the closing track "Triumph & Agony", a real treat at over eleven minutes of pure unadulterated heavy metal, could have profited from a much more open production. Now it's just really good instead of outstanding. I just realise that I just described the last three songs of the album. They are the ones that prevent "Triumph & Tragedy" from being swallowed into the swamp of albums that disappoint. Now they stay above that threshold and go into the 'just not good enough' category.

I can give you more examples like that, but the crux of it all is that if it doesn't bother you that the sound of the band is smooth as long as the songs are good, you just might like HITTEN in general and "Triumph & Tragedy" especially. I unfortunately don't, as I feel they could have made so much more of this whole endeavour.