Heavy and massive are two appropriate adjectives I would use when telling anyone about Santiago, Chile's Death Metallers KNELL. Their debut album "Zero Hour" is eight tracks of guitar mastership and is completely laden with ear candy. Released on August 14, 2014, it has gotten the band plenty of exposure and has been featured on several internet Metal media outlets. It serves the band well as their debut, since I have no doubt that their next album will be anticipated by a wide audience.

To some it can be labeled as Technical Death Metal and I suppose they are correct for the most part. The riffs, while not groundbreaking, give off the feeling of originality. Their playing style is not very common and speaks to say that KNELL are pretty good at songwriting and performing. The guitar solos are usually slow and melodic. Their statement could be that they do not have to play the fastest arpeggios in the world to make the music appreciable.

A few tracks I think are standouts and worth mentioning start with the third song "Mächtenkrieg." It has a very fast start to the song but about three and a half minutes in, switches over to a soft-stringed melody that has reverberating notes and seems to cast a shadow in the mind of the listener. The same goes for the following track "Crimson Sky" at about the 2:45 mark. "Bright Lights" begins with a choir of voices echoing a few words, then commences to obliterate the stereo once again with their crushing Death Metal attack. There are a couple of instrumental tracks that are a nice changeup from the exaggerated harsh vocals. "El Descendo" is a slow tune that fits the title, much like a descent would sound. "The Fourth Planet" is a more traditional Metal instrumental track, and I can say I definitely enjoyed it and serves well as the closing song of the album.

Bravo to KNELL for their effort in constructing a strong debut album that encourages the minds of listeners with creativity and skill!