This Is Hell: Acid Rain – new video & Black Mass – full album stream

 

 

THIS IS HELL, tireless hardcore warriors from Long Island, New York, have a new video out, directed, shot (“across Europe”) and edited by Jamie Horton. ‘Acid Rain’ is the opening track from THIS IS HELL's latest album, 2011's ‘Black Mass’, issued on Rise Records. ‘Black Mass’ was recorded at Killingsworth Studio in Valley Village, California, with producer Tomas Costanza. You can listen to the full album below, courtesy the label:

“The new album takes the crossover and metal influences from last album [2010's ‘Weight Of The World’] to much greater extremes. The end product was by far the heaviest and thrashiest songs we’ve written and recorded. Lyrically this album touches on issues we haven’t dove into before. Social injustice as a whole is a recurring theme. Persistence and empowerment are familiar themes with us that I’ve revisited, but with an even more aggressive outlook than before,” [explained guitarist Rick Jimenez in an interview with Noisecreep]

Taking their name from an Elvis Costello song, THIS IS HELL formed in 2004 in Long Island, New York. After releasing a self-titled 4-track demo (in support of which the band had played over 200 shows), THIS IS HELL issued a self-titled EP in 2005, followed by full-length titled ‘Sundowning’, released through Trustkill Records in 2006. In 2007, “the band that never stops touring” somehow managed to squeeze two EPs, ‘Cripplers’ and a split with CANCER BATS, in between the gigs. Years of touring inspired THIS IS HELL to write their second full-length, ‘Misfortunes’, released in 2008:

“THIS IS HELL generally keep listeners engaged in areas where most competitors would have them drooling into pillows or tearing their hair out in irritation. OK, so things get progressively less interesting as the album wears on, but ‘Misfortunes’ still averages out well above THIS IS HELL's hapless competition, quality-wise, which bodes well both for hardcore fans and the group's imminent future,” [was of opinion Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here]

Hardcore punk gave way to crossover thrash on 2009's EP ‘Warbirds’ (Think Fast! Records), which featured covers and new songs, some of which found their way on THIS IS HELL's following full-length, and the band's debut for Rise Records, 2010's ‘Weight Of The World’.

THIS IS HELL features: Travis Reilly – vocals, Rick Jimenez – guitar & vocals, Pieter van den Berg – bass and Mike Sciulara – drums

THIS IS HELL: Black Mass – courtesy of Rise Records