These days, giving oneself time between albums seems to be a luxury or the prerogative of the biggest names. Hell Of A Ride is one of those bands who take the time to refine their project and take advantage of the opportunity of a tour rich in encounters to get more experience. During the last few years, the band has shared the scene with international bands (Black Stone Cherry, Asian Dub Foundation, Coheed And Cambria...) from whom they have learnt a lot to improve itself.
Hell Of A Ride has already built a whole story around an urban adventurer named Mad Dog whose adventures are to be followed throughout the band's albums. In this saga, the protagonist is the object of a machination, which paves the way for a most unbridled soundtrack. This second episode entitled "Nine Of Cups" brings its share of evolutions after a first episode that was more hard rock oriented. If the base remains the same, the band muscles its game by opening its doors to outside composers, which has the merit of allowing the band not to purr.
Sizzles greet the listener eager to follow season 2 of their favourite series, then very quickly they are swept away by the hair-raising riffs, a punchy drums and a rumbling bass that engages punchy verses and a devastating and addictive chorus ('Stand Up' which well deserves its name). The band doesn't hesitate to dabble in nu metal at the very end of the first track, bringing an undeniable touch of modernity.
The titles do not exceed four minutes, which avoids sterile digressions and aims to transmit an overflowing and exhilarating energy. The extreme coherence between the songs and the balance between energy, power and magnetism is excellent. Far from being content to be lulled into the efficient comfort of the first album that they could have done again, the band is looking for new sounds that often come from the keyboards, especially in 'I'm Sorry', a fake power ballad where Djej's clear vocals are fabulous. The band adds speed rhythms ('Echoes') which helps to raise the pressure around the Mad Dog and to imagine scenes thanks to an architecture built like a well thought-out synopsis. The sound is ample, giving the album an immersive side rarely reached for such a band. We even manage to feel moments of tension ('Feel Me'), more raging ('Forgive You') or more soothed or luminous ('Looking That Way').
With this new album, Hell Of a Ride goes out of its comfort zone integrating to its project a multitude of styles by small touches while remaining completely coherent. With its spirit of duality, "Nine Of Cups" finds the delicate balance between staying on its foundations and evolving to offer a modern metal with a strong sense of melody.