Hellbearer are a British thrash metal band formed in 2022. Their debut album, “For Those About to Bear Hell”, arrived the following year, and now they’re back with the follow-up, “Darker Fates”. The first thing that hits me is how low the mix is, so you’ll need to crank the volume to match other records.
The band’s thrash leans towards the Bay Area sound—think Exodus and Forbidden. It’s tough, with plenty of strong riffs in the arsenal, but it also feels very by-the-numbers, and Hellbearer don’t bring much new to the table. That said, I enjoy the record and can happily spin it repeatedly without getting bored. I do question the cover art: a more comic-book aesthetic that looks as if it’s been run through a digital-glitch filter. It doesn’t look especially cool, but it’s still a thousand times better than the artwork on their first album.
Released September 19th, 2025 independently.
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