Review by JD on May 4, 2014.

Death metal has been something that is the toughest to come to grips with. It can be so amazing or simply run-of-the-mill, much more than other metal genres. I have found more of the second than the first. Let’s see if North Carolina’s Hadea breaks out of the mundane mould.

Formerly named Gollum, this band resurrected itself as Hadea and continue on after losing one of their founding members (drummer: Hunter Holland) unexpectedly and then taking a real long look at what they wanted. They wanted not only to continue to play intensely powerful music, but to honour the hard fought building blocks which their fallen brother had placed… but anew.

Using a combination of pure down groove, bouts of industrial and smatterings of progressive styles added into its death metal they come at you from many angles. While the musicianship held here is somewhat suspect in many spots – the vocalist makes up for it in power and emotion that is very rarely seen. Just listen to 'Larva To Chrysalis' or 'Malicious Species' and you will hear a good vocalist (Shawn Corbett) that is just head and shoulders above the band that was playing behind them. It seems a little disconnected between the truly talented and the band that tries to keep up.

It is not a bad album, just one that is frankly uneven between the vocals and the music. I think given time for the band to grow into the power of their frontman will eventually pay off in gold but this particular album is not even close to that level. It is good, not great – but gives a glimmer of a band that will soon be equal. Just like Hadea’s name means (a scientific geological place in time) it is in transition to something better.

Rating: 7 out of 10