Looking back......Germany's HELLBOUND ~HAIL THE NEW FLESH EP

Germany is reknowned for producing classy krautrock and psych, as we all know, but it seems that the country that prides itself on discipline and efficiency can also get down and dirty too. If you need proof of this then check out Hellbound's  2011 release Hail the New Flesh EP....

Hail The New Flesh opens its joyously noisy account with an absolute belter in "Zadoc Allen", a full blooded rocker played at breakneck pace.This three minutes track gives you a perfect insight into what Hellbound were all about, distorted riffage and head banging rhythms all peppered  with the throat ripping vocals of front man Sebastian (here we go with the first names only again).Hard fast and gloriously loud!
"Daylight Through A Girls Brain" slows the pace just a tad with a deliciously addictive riff from the twin guitars of Johannes and Christian, initially it has a slightly more bluesy hard rock feel than the previous track but this soon makes way for an incendiary metal riff fest  that is driven by some extraordinary rhythm work from Markus (bass) and Tobias (drums). OK it does not have the most PC title but that aside it is still a killer tune!
Third track "Hail The New Flesh" kicks off with a start/stop/start riff then morphs into a galloping nwobhm type refrain with Sebastian's raw throaty vocal roaring and bellowing over the top with power and unbridled passion.. The moments during this song when the stuttering  guitar riff is answered by the drums is worth the price of the ep on its own.
The final track "Feaster From The Stars" sees the two guitarists alone and exploring a slightly medieval/classical theme, gentle acoustic guitars intertwine and weave around each other creating a serene and beautiful mood piece which is in total contrast to the sludge fest of the previous three tracks. It's a strange choice for a number to finish your EP on and maybe would of sat better between the second and third songs as a slight relief.. but no matter it's still a great tune and shows that Hellbound were no one-trick ponies.
Not heard much from this band since they released Hail The New Flesh in 2011 and as far as i can make out they have split, although their facebook page is still up and running,I did notice though that one former member is now in sludgemonsters Blacksmoker so things are not looking good for any sort of follow up. Still they did leave us with this monster so its not all bad.