UMUR "The Downside" is the 5th full-length studio album by US power/thrash metal act Hades. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in February 2000. It´s the successor to "$avior$elf" from 1999 and features the same five-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor, although bassist Scott LePage only plays on a couple of tracks, while the bass on the remaining tracks are predominantly played by guitarist Dan Lorenzo (except "Bitter Suite #1" which was recorded by D.D.Verni from Overkill).

The material on "The Downside" continue the groove laden US power/thrash metal style of "$avior$elf (1999)", but fortunately more than one feature have been given a lift of quality since the predecessor. The sound production which was a bit of an issue on the predecessor is decent sounding on "The Downside". It´s not the best sounding production job (the drums could definitely have been better produced), but it´s listenable. The musicianship was never an issue with Hades, although it´s only lead vocalist Alan Tecchio who stands out as something out of the ordinary. The rest of the band do their job and do it well, but there´s nothing extraordinary about their performances.

It´s in the songwriting department where Hades have finally reached a decent level though. The preceding releases by the band haven´t been awful or anything like that, but they haven´t exactly made my blood boil either. Middle-of-the-road US power/thrash metal with a skilled lead vocalist in front, but not particularly memorable nor distinct sounding. That description also fits large parts of "The Downside", but there are more quality tracks here than usual for a Hades release. The dark atmosphere and heavy riffs and rhythms of album opener "Ground Zero NYC" is for example a real joy listening to, and there are other equally good quality tracks featured on the album.

The inconsistency of both quality and musical style (and even inconsistency in sound quality between tracks) which have marred the preceding releases by the band are unfortunately also issues on "The Downside". Not as serious issues as before, but still issues, and it´s honestly a bit odd that a seasoned act like Hades at that point in their hadn´t been able to produce a well sounding release with consistent quality material. Normally I would praise diversity and an act branching out trying different sounds and styles, but Hades have a hard time creating a tracklist with a good flow, with the material they have recorded for "The Downside".

Ultimately I know my words above can be read as very negative, but remember I wrote that "The Downside" is a step up in quality from their preceding releases and that there are several strong tracks featured on the album, and we should not forget the considerable vocal skills of Tecchio either, which are always wonderful to listen to, so all in all "The Downside" isn´t a half-bad album, but actually more of a half-good one, and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.

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.

UMUR "Exist to Resist" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US power/thrash metal act Hades. The album was released through Art of Music in 1995. It´s the successor to "If at First You Don't Succeed" from 1988, so there is a 7 year gap between the two album releases. Lead vocalist Alan Tecchio got the offer to front Watchtower in 1989 and although he left that band again in 1990 (after recording the "Control and Resistance (1989)" album), his abscence from Hades of course disrupted the flow of Hades releases. "Exist to Resist" features the exact same five-piece lineup who recorded "If at First You Don't Succeed (1988)".

Stylistically the music is slightly darker and heavier than what the band have released before. Tecchio is a world class singer, and although he hits the helium notes a couple of times during the playing time, his performance on this album is actually pretty varied and he also delivers both more raw and mid-range vocals with ease. The rest of the band are also well playing and it´s obvious these are seasoned musicians. The combination of heavy thrashy riffs and rhythms and a singer like Tecchio has been done before by artists like Realm and Toxik and maybe most famously by Sanctuary/Nevermore, but it´s still an interesting combination of musical styles.

Unfortunately "Exist to Resist" features some of the same flaws as the two preceding studio albums, and firstly that´s a sound production which is decent but not great. The material could really have prospered from a more powerful, clear, and detailed sound production. Secondly the songwriting is a bit mediocre. There´s nothing bad on the album, but it´s not really great or particularly memorable either. I´m fairly entertained while listening to the album, but it´s not an album I´m able to mention many tracks from if asked.

So upon conclusion "Exist to Resist" to my ears sounds a bit like another lost opportunity for Hades. Musically they have everything needed to succeed, but their compositional skills and choice of producer just aren´t up to par with other similar contemporary artists/releases. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "If at First You Don't Succeed" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Hades. The album was released through Torrid Records in 1988. Hades was formed in January 1978 by guitarist Dan Lorenzo. The band´s first release was the "Deliver Us from Evil" single from 1982. in the following years Hades released several minor releases like demos, splits, and singles, before signing to Torrid Records for the release of their debut full-length studio album "Resisting Success (1987)". There´s been one lineup change since "Resisting Success (1987)" as guitarist Scott LePage has been replaced by Ed Fuhrmann.

Stylistically the material on "If at First You Don't Succeed" pretty much continues the thrash metal style of "Resisting Success (1987)". The band are well playing and they have a distinct sounding lead vocalist in Alan Tecchio. His predominantly high pitched vocal delivery is a bit unusual on a thrash metal album, and provides the album with a US power/progressive metal touch. Some of the tracks are also a bit out of the ordinary for thrash metal (in particular the 9:04 minutes long "Aftermath Of Betrayal"), but "If at First You Don't Succeed" is still a thrash metal album first and other things second. Hard edged thrashy riffs and rhythms, skilled lead guitar work, and a generally powerful delivery of the material.

Upon conclusion "If at First You Don't Succeed" is a decent thrash metal release with a fairly original sound, as a result of the high pitched vocals, but it´s not an extraordinay release in terms of the quality of the material. For that the tracks aren´t memorable enough, and the sound production isn´t helping the album either. It´s not a major issue, but the production could definitely have been better sounding. So it´s an album with both great ideas and high quality musicianship, but also an album which could have benefitted from more catchy material and a much better sounding production. Honestly I had hoped for a bit more considering what I think was a promising debut in "Resisting Success (1987)", but a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Resisting Success" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New Jersey based thrash metal act Hades. The album was released through Torrid Records in 1987. Hades was formed in January 1978 by guitarist Dan Lorenzo. The band´s first release was the "Deliver Us from Evil" single from 1982. in the following years Hades released several minor releases like demos, splits, and singles, before signing to Torrid Records for the release of "Resisting Success".

Stylistically the music on the album is a combination of thrash, speed, and heavy metal. Some tracks are culled from the band´s 1984 demo, their 1985 live demo, and "The Cross / Widow's Mite" single from 1985, so it´s only natural that this is not a 100% pure thrash metal assault, but instead also features some more "old school" speed/heavy metal elements (tracks like "Legal Tender" and "The Cross"). There´s even a semi-progressive mini epic featured on the album in the 9:10 minutes long closing track "Masque Of The Red Death". Common for all tracks are the great raw energy but also the great melodic sensibility which is present throughout. Especially lead vocalist Alan Tecchio pulls in the more melodic direction with his high pitched screaming vocals. He also sings in a more gruff staccato type thrash metal vocal style though. The guitars play both raw thrashy riffs, heavy/speed metal type riffing, melodic themes, and there´s even a raw rock´n´roll feel to some of the material, like it´s the case on "Sweet Revenge". The well played guitar solos are also worth a mention.

While the material is stylistically slightly inconsistent, it´s not a major issue, and the diversity of the material isn´t something which disrupts the flow of the album too much (although the progressive leanings of "Masque Of The Red Death" isn´t their finest hour). The sound production on the other hand is a bit of a deal breaker. It´s not terrible by any means, but it is very raw and unpolished, and sometimes details go missing in the mix. As "Resisting Success" is generally a bit more sophisticated thrash metal release than the average ditto, a more clear sounding production would probably have suited the music better, but as mentioned the sound production isn´t lo-fi or of a really bad quality, it just could have been better. There is some quality material featured on the album though and the musicianship is also of high class, so a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still deserved.