UMUR
"$avior$elf" is the 4th full-length studio album by US power/thrash metal act Hades. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in January 1999. It´s the successor to "Exist to Resist" from 1995 and features two lineup changes since the predecessor as drummer Tom Coombs has been replaced by Dave Lescinsky and bassist Jimmy Schulmann has been replaced by Scott LePage.
Lineup changes or not the material on "$avior$elf" sound like a natural progression of the US power/groove metal style of "Exist to Resist (1995)"...or maybe progression is the wrong word to use here, as there actucally hasn´t been that much progression, and continuation is probably a more correct word to use. It´s still fairly standard quality (for the genre) material with lead vocalist Alan Tecchio being the one thing standing out in the soundscape. The instrumental performances are relatively strong, but although there are some nice heavy grooves in the music, and the occasional moment with a catchy riff or vocal phrase, the material is generally not that memorable. So it´s the songwriting which is lacking in hooks and memorability. Tecchio is a world class singer, and it´s really too bad that his considerable vocal skills aren´t put to use on better quality material.
It´s not really a surprise as that´s been the case on all preceding releases too, and unfortunately the trend of sub par production jobs also continue here. The bass drum sound on "$avior$elf" is simply an abomination. Thin, triggered, clicky, and adding absolutely no heaviness to music which otherwise screams for exactly that. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.
