Hellbastard – Feral CD (Patac Records)
A bit less Metal than their ‘Sons Of Bitches’ ep, the lads retain the Thrashier elements of their sound but return somewhat to a their rawer, crust Punk roots. With some scathing lyrics and vocals from main man Malcom ‘Scruff’ Lewty particularly on ‘Shame On Us’ in which he lists the manifest ways in which the human race is destroying the natural world and ultimately declares that the end of Homosapiens is the only way to stop it. Pessimistic? Hell yes; but Hellbastard have never been afraid to call it as they see it. Music wise there’s chugging riffs aplenty with some surprisingly melodic interludes that break up the crunch nicely. Good stuff. Ian Pickens