HELL IN THE CLUB
“F.U.B.A.R.”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Hell In The Club are a hard rock band from Italy formed in 2009, releasing six albums to date – ‘Let The Games Begin’ (2011), ‘Devil On My Shoulder’ (2014), ‘Shadow Of The Monster’ (2016), ‘See You On The Dark Side’ (2017), ‘Hell Of Fame’ (2020), and ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ (2023).

Founded by bass player Andrea “Andy” Buratto (Secret Sphere, The Erinyes), vocalist Davide “Dave” Moras (Elvenking), and guitarist Andrea “Picco” Piccardi – the band completed by drummer Marco Lazzarini (Secret Sphere) – Hell In The Club are a hard rocking hard rock band very much in the vein of legendary bands such as Motley Crue, Faster Pussycat and Ratt. For the title of their new album, Hell In The Club utilise a military acronym for “fouled up beyond all recognition” – F.U.B.A.R. And if you’ve ever watched the American movies Tango And Cash (1989) or Saving Private Ryan (1998), F.U.B.A.R. can also be interpreted as “fucked up beyond all recognition”. However, when it comes to the Italian rockers, I reckon the albums title refers to “four unbelievably bad ass rockers” – ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ an eleven song thrill ride over forty one enticing minutes…

…the band thundering into view with the hard driving, harder hitting ‘Sidonie’, echoing the energetic rock sound of bands such as Twisted Sister, Ratt and Motley Crue – the sound of the eighties hard rock scene shining ever so brightly. As a band, Hell In The Club have just become a teenager, having only been born in 2009 – and we all know what a teenager’s attitude is like! Come on – we’ve all been there, that’s why we got into rock in the first place! A sign of rebellion, fighting against the system, and a big fuck you to the authorities! And with their sixth album, Hell In The Club have arrived at the higher echelons of the hard rock genre, ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ marching on with heavy stomper ‘The Arrival’. And a bombastic barrage of hard rock that borders very much on party rock, the overwhelming feel of jolly and happy oozing from ‘The Arrival’ simply superb!

A very punchy opening one-two becomes a one-two-three with the faster paced ‘Total Disaster’, the band dipping a toe into the heavy metal genre – ‘Total Disaster’ one of those genre spanning songs, attracting fans of both rock and metal to the bands soundscape. And the energy level too, off the fucking charts! And that’s where the album remains for the bombastic rocker ‘The Kid’, shuddering the ground as it strides on by. ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ has been nothing less than majestic and elegant since it began, every song infectious and catchy – I defy anyone to not be singing along with the band right now! The quicker pace of earlier returns in full force, ‘Best Way Of Life’ hitting the pedal hard and accelerating off into the distance. And honestly, the mid eighties party rock sound of Motley Crue, Poison and to a certain extent Van Halen, is rife within ‘Best Way Of Life’ – the most attractive song heard so far!

‘Cimitero Vivente’ – translated into English as “cemetery living”, or maybe “living cemetery”, I’m never too sure with a free online translation service! But after reading the lyrics, I believe ‘Cimitero Vivente’ is about the afterlife, the music a bouncy barrage of head noddingly addictive thunder. The band began ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ with the energy level turned way up high, and it hasn’t dropped since. In fact, I’d go as far to say the level’s been rising song by song! And with no sign of it dropping any time soon, the album roars on with the Van Halen-esque ‘Sleepless’ – a guitar driven rock anthem for the bands legion of fans to enjoy. More hustle and bustle than any other song heard so far, ‘Sleepless’ maintains the underlying party atmosphere running right through ‘F.U.B.A.R.’. Hitting harder than anything heard previously, ‘The End Of It All’ is a bullish barrage of jack hammering heaviness – ‘The End Of It All’ shaking buildings and crumbling walls with its fierce power-driven manner.

And with the energy level soaring higher than ever, Hell In The Club unleash the fastest song on offer, ‘Undertaker’ hurtling down the autostrada at full tilt! Ignoring local traffic enforcement polizia, ‘Undertaker’ is a furious gallop that once again, will entice metalheads to the bands sound. And with the roller coaster of rock nearing its end, the band keep their foot firmly pressed to the metal, ‘Tainted Sky’ a raucous romp of heavy hitting rock to please every listener, fan and follower. ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ has been one hell of a ride, and it’s with deep sadness that the album has to come to an end – but remember readers, the replay button was invented for albums just like this! And amazingly, a modern day hard rock album comes to an end without a single ballad on offer – ‘Embrace The Sacrifice’ a hard punching slab of rock to floor many listeners! What a terrific triumph of hard rock ‘F.U.B.A.R.’ has been, every single song on offer boasting a one hundred percent infectious level.

Overall, a breathless barrage of non stop, energetic hard rock riddled with a party atmosphere and a smile inducing attitude.

TRACKLIST

Sidonie
The Arrival
Total Disaster
The Kid
Best Way Of Life
Cimitero Vivente
Sleepless
The End Of All
Undertaker
Tainted Sky
Embrace The Sacrifice

http://www.hellintheclub.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hellintheclub

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