WALLOP
“Hell On Wheels”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Wallop are a heavy metal band from Germany, originally forming during the mid-eighties and releasing one album ‘Metallic Alps’ (1985), the band breaking up shortly after – only to reform an incredible thirty five years later! And with the same line-up! And release the bands second album ‘Alps On Fire’ (2020), with third album ‘Hell On Wheels’ released in 2024…

…featuring drummer Stefan Arnold (ex Grave Digger), bass player Stefan Fleischer, guitarist Andreas Lorz, and vocalist Mikk Wega. The sound of ‘Hell On Wheels’ harks back to the glorious eighties when heavy metal was still evolving – the pace, power and punch of all ten songs on offer reminiscent of (probably) the greatest era in metal history. For forty fast paced minutes, the four-piece outfit deliver old school “foot on the monitor” heavy metal to please – to please old, young and new fans alike! ‘Battle Cry’ opens the album with a crash, bang and a big fucking wallop – the band storming ahead at full tilt to deliver a head bang-able opener that’s both frantic and frenetic! The power and purpose here is incredible, Wallop setting a scorching pace as their third album aims to set the world on fire!

And maintaining the albums barnstorming start, ‘World On Fire’ pounds the ground with an immense amount of energy, the glorious sound of traditional heavy metal rising high in the air – clenched fists too, for ‘World On Fire’ is a fist pumping thunder stomp that deserves every accolade available! And keeping the fire theme burning, ‘Hellfire’ blazes into sight with more pace and power than heard so far, the heads of every single listener, fan and follower rocking back and forth at an extreme rate of knots! The head bang ability across the albums first three songs has been immense, the German metallers knowing exactly how to please their fans! And with the mightiest anthemic metal feel ever, ‘American 4-4-0’ stomps in to shudder the ground, crumbling walls and wobbling buildings – fuck me I can feel the vibrations from here! And I’m nearly a thousand miles away! Yes readers, ‘American 4-4-0-‘ has that much of an impact!

Increasing the speed of the album three-fold, ‘Stand Up’ is a raucous romp of punk tinged heavy come speed metal, the band roaring down the autobahn faster than the German authorities allow! Watch out for the local Verkehrspolizei Wallop, they’re coming for ya and gonna get you, no matter how far! And with the album flying faster than a jet fighter off to war, the title song ‘Hell On Wheels’ returns the mighty anthemic feel heard earlier, the rabble rousing, call to arms chorus a dead cert to be sung, screamed and screeched by every listener, fan, follower and concert goer. Simply sensational stuff from the Hesse heavy metallers – ‘Strike Down’ maintaining the albums immense intensity level! But only after a crescendo building first thirty seconds – the band surging forth with more energy than needed to power an entire country! The head bang ability since ‘Hell On Wheels’ (the album) began has been top level, listeners everywhere wrecking their necks in a vain attempt to keep pace with the band!

And with a beginning that sounds Iron Maiden-ish, ‘Darkness Comes Rising’ soon turns away from the legendary metallers to resume the albums bustling barrage of gritty, foot to the floor heavy metal. Wallop are certainly fired up right now, igniting the touch paper early on to power through every song on offer – ‘Blinded Eyes’ strolling stealthily into view before launching into an old school gallop, the iconic sound of traditional heavy metal pouring outta ‘Blinded Eyes’. And that melodious sing a long style chorus is another cert for an in concert sing a long – what a band Wallop must be in a live arena! The band have maintained a one track mind with regards to delivering heavy metal – the albums final hurrah ‘One Track Mind’, hurtling forth at an incredible speed! Head bang-able to the max, ‘One Track Mind’ is a blistering finale to a red hot album.

Overall, a full on and fast paced traditional heavy metal gallop with a sky high level of head bang ability.

TRACKLIST

Battle Cry
World On Fire
Hellfire
American 4-4-0
Stand Up
Hell On Wheels
Strike Down
Darkness Comes Rising
Blinded Eyes
One Track Mind

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