Bow to the Cannon of Hell

What do you get when you cross Carcass with Kreator? One ugly baby named Hellcannon.

Hailing from Buffalo, New York, this underground breed of Thrash metal has been desecrating many of the known bands with their punishing guitars, destructive drums and brutal vocals for quite some time and their debut album, “Infected With Violence” is nothing short of excellent.

The album kicks off with killer tracks like “Leviathan,” “Chainsaw Ripping Death,” and “Speed Killer,” which do just that. Then it’s “Harbingers of War,” which features one of the most memorable solos ever heard, followed by the bass driven instant classic “Raiders of the Waste.” Don’t be surprised if Hellcannon starts calling their fans “Raiders” after the pit action this tune is sure to generate.

The last three tracks leave you sprawled out in pain as the black metal influenced drums carry the agression on “Sacrifice By Fire,” followed by the heavy riffing on “Act of Violence,” which happens to have the most ferocious solo on the album, as well as the most terrifying vocals.

The key elements that set these guys apart from being “just another Kreator/Slayer clone” is the heavy death metal and black metal influence this band has. The vocals bear a very strong Carcass influence and the riffing sounds like slower Cannibal Corpse/ early Obituary at times. The drums sound very Emperor-esque, which throws you off, but keeps you guessing the whole time as to what he is going to play next. There is of course the obvious Kreator/Slayer/Sodom influences as well as a few things borrowed from Brazil’s Sarcofago, but the death metal influences are what really sets them apart.

This album is one of the best debuts in metal and it would be a shame if Hellcannon didn’t get picked up by a huge label or at least get put on some decent tours. This band needs to be heard and rise above ground where they can massacre legions of posers with their intense breed of blackened thrash. “Infected With Violence” will rip your ears off, feed them to your family, and proceed to dismember the kids while boiling the adults alive in their own blood.

It’s that brutal.