Release:

High Roller Records
14.04.2017
Distribution: Soulfood

Info:

Without the shadow of a doubt Mark "The Shark" Shelton is one of the most creative Metal musicians of all time. At the same time he is one of the most underrated visionaries of the genre. He formed US Metal legends MANILLA ROAD back in 1977. The debut album "Invasion" was issued via their own record label Roadster in 1980. Throughout the 1980s Manilla Road records were virtually ignored by the media. Only a few knowing fans (and dedicated fanzines) who adored the band's unique style of epic metal kept the flame alive, paving the way for the band’s astonishing rise to fame in the new millennium.

Now, Mark Shelton presents his second official solo project outside of Manilla Road (if you discount “Circus Maximus”, which was planned as a solo project but due to record company pressure was released under the Manilla Road moniker). HELLWELL’s "Behind The Demon’s Eyes" follows 2012’s debut "Beyond The Boundaries Of Sin".

"The first thing that is really different if you compare the first to the second HELLWELL album2, states the legendary Mark Shelton, "is that Randy ‘Thrasher’ Foxe (of Manilla Road fame) is now the drummer for the band and he delivers a great performance on 'Behind The Demon’s Eyes'. With Randy playing on this one, sometimes it sounds to me like stuff that could have easily been on an album such as Manilla Road’s 'Out Of The Abyss'. The themes and concepts are still coming from the same sort of Gothic horror, except this time there is a little more of a science fiction angle to it at times."

If you listen to "Behind The Demon’s Eyes" carefully, you will discover that the keyboards and synthesizers are not that prominent as on HELLWELL’s debut album. The band is steering away a bit from its initial seventies hard rock feel, songs such as "Necromantio" do feature some more upbeat parts as well... Mark Shelton explains in a little more detail: "We were not really trying to maintain a 1970s sound to the project or the band. The idea is to fuse different styles of metal and rock together that support the atmosphere of the concepts and stories within the album. All in all 'Behind The Demon’s Eyes' seems to be a little heavier than our first effort."

Tracklist:

1. Lightwave
2. Necromantio
3. To Serve Man
4. It's Alive
5. The Galaxy Being
6. The Last Rites Of Edward Hawthorn

Tracklist:

Mark The Shark Shelton - vocals, guitars & piano
Randy Thrasher Foxe - drums
E.C. Hellwell - bass, synthesizer and keyboards
Ian Shelton - guitar on "The Last Rites of Edward Hawthorn"