Private Hell

Reviews

Private Hell To Dust You Shall Return EP

Big, chugging riffs abound on PRIVATE HELL’s latest EP To Dust You Shall Return, a tasty four-track metallic hardcore/crossover EP. Bands like SEPULTURA and NAPALM DEATH are cited as influences, and while the depth of my knowledge in regard to this style is limited and a little basic, I think it’s fair to say they sound like POWER TRIP. Some blastbeats here, some great, groovy bass lines there, and loads of buzzsaw guitar work add up to a heavy eleven minutes. Recommended; check out the final track, “Charred Remains of a Dying Star.”

Private Hell Wake Up Screaming / Dead Inside flexi 7″

Richmond’s metallic hardcore outfit PRIVATE HELL unleashes their latest 7”, which they self-released as a follow-up to their 2023 EP Days of Wrath. PRIVATE HELL dug deep into their metallic roots, shifting their sound to a more buzzsaw-oriented muscular approach with influences like OBITUARY, HELLHAMMER, and ENTOMBED added to their dynamic mood-shifting, powerviolence-like approach. Groove-oriented savagery throughout. The digital version of the EP adds an unexpected but well-chosen cover of JOY DIVISION’s “Warsaw” that sounds like it could be on any NAILS record. A solid return to action.

Private Hell Days of Wrath cassette

The latest release from Richmond’s PRIVATE HELL consists of six tracks of dark, metallic hardcore punk attack, sitting right in the middle of the ’80s or ’90s approach but not quite polished enough to be rubbed off as booking agent metal. Reminiscent of the sound of the world of ’90s DIY hardcore rediscovering the ’80s HC style, around LEFT FOR DEAD, the SWARM, or TALK IS POISON. Solid metal-edged riffs rage throughout the tracks without any sacrifice of intensity.

Private Hell Private Hell cassette

If you like your crossover with the thrash and hardcore elements equally dialed up to eleven, this cassette is for you. One marching, anthemic track follows another, reminiscent of CRIPPLED FOX, early D.R.I., or S.O.D. but stripped of those bands’ silly streaks. The anguished lyrics more closely resemble SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in tone, with themes of depression and inner pain, and are very well-written. “Total Massacre” differs from the other tracks by being less a skate park rumble from start to finish and creeping toward mosh time with more than two minutes of a slow, metallic, instrumental build-up. Clever, smart stuff.