My first thought when I read the name Her Chariot Awaits was that it sounded like the title of a Manowar album. But Manowar this is not. HCA is an American Metal band formed last year by ex Adrenaline Mob guitarist and producer Mike Orlando and Spain born singer Ailyn (ex- Sirenia) with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal’s brother Jeff Thal on drums and bassist Brian Gearty. Gearty however, joined the band when the album was done so it’s Orlando who is responsible for bass-duties as well. The press release says that musically, HCA is a defined Metal act where technical, aggressive and modern Metal like Adrenaline Mob meets a more catchy and hook-laden approach. While I was never a fan of Adrenaline Mob, I do see why this really could be an interesting project.
The album opens in a skull-crashing way with “Misery”, a fast and hard-hitting Metal stomper that’s ballsy and rough, ready to punch your lights out. When it comes to the vocal-melodies, I get a Halestorm vibe both from the sound of Ailyn’s voice and melody-structure. There are hooks in the there and the chorus is pretty in-your-face but the tune comes across as a bit noisy and somewhat unstructured. Leading single “Dead & Gone” keeps the aggressive arrangements intact. It’s a robust, fast and rowdy Heavy Metal kicker that makes you feel like you have been ran over by a freight-train. That said, the chorus slows things down and even though it’s still gutsy it also holds an intense and memorable melody that makes the tune even catchy. Very good.
“Screaming Misfire” is heavy and bouncy with a rhythmic groove. It’s still hard and roughly driven with fierce riffing on a thunderous ground. It’s an in-your-face, straight-forward rocker with melodies doing their best to find catchiness. It’s not bad at all but somehow I can’t get the tune to stick even after a few spins. Ok but a bit forgettable. “Stolen Heart” has a title that suggests we’re being treated with a ballad but this is nothing as such. The opening riff sounds like a Metal Green Day but as soon as the song gets going and the Metal rhythm comes in, the song takes a whole other turn. It’s ballsy, stompy and it’s energetic enough to kick up some major dust. The chorus is of the bigger kind but again, the song fails to really linger with me. It’s a decent track, though.
Instead the ballad comes up next when the band decided to cover k.d. lang’s “Constant Craving”. It’s slow, it’s heavy but it also contains a pretty smooth vocal-melody. The arrangements are both sullen and melancholic and on top the chorus swipes us away with catchiness that makes the tune an addictive one. I’m not familiar with the original but this one brings on a symphonic vibe as well. A great tune and the best one so far. “Say No” is an earthy and organic affair, both raw and stripped with crispy crunch. It hits hard and is right up in your face but at the same time, the whole thing feels rushed without much structure and only ravages on and on without striking melodies or hitting the goal. To me it sounds more like a forgotten Halestorm demo where nothing sticks at all. A skipper.
“Line Of Fire” blasts off as a classic Heavy Metal tune with a punky attitude – rough, rowdy and raw with a menacing and aggressive outlook but it also holds a pulsating groove. It’s melodic enough but it’s also a filler that just passes by without anything to grab a hold to. I can’t remember a thing when it’s over – lucky I take notes. “Turning The Page” is heavy, dark and crunchy with some aggro-filled riffing from Orlando. This one goes for a more modern Metal sound with in-your-face melodies and some altering between female and male lead vocals. This is punchy stuff where Halestrom and Hinder melts together in a fierce Metal way, clearly aimed at modern Rock radio. It mixes Metalcore influences with 80’s American Arena Rock. I guess it’s a future single. I’m not floored but I’m sure radio will pick it up if that’s the case.
Latest single “Take Me Higher” sends some straight-forward verses our way – intense yet heavy and striking. The bridge between verse and chorus changes direction and comes across as some kind of nu-metal infected thingy with male talk-sing melodies before the chorus runs over us with some direct catchiness. Still, this too comes across as somewhat rushed and demo-like and it’s another one that passes me by unnoticed. “Just remember” is a heavy power ballad – slow and mellow yet powerful, sullen and sombre with lots of hooks and an amazing refrain with Ailyn taking a slightly gothic and emotional approach. Brilliant song. Make it a single! As a closer we get “Forgive Me Dear”, an explosive, hard-hitting belter with immense and sharp guitars, a fat and beefy rhythm section. The vocal melody might be a bit on the mellow side but this is no softie at all. The chorus slows the pace down some but the foundation is still made of heavy riffs. It’s still hook-laden and really distinct and even catchy. They sure closed the doors for this time on a good note.
First of all, no matter what you think of the music here – lead singer Ailyn is nothing short of marvelous. Her voice is distinct, powerful and intense with a broad range. She’s a shape-shifter vocally and can adjust her voice for the sake of which kind of song she sings – she can sing anything. Secondly, there are promise here – some of the songs proves that this is a project that might surprise us greatly in the future. However, I am not thrilled about this CD. Production-wise, it sounds rushed and at times unfinished – the mixing could have been worked on longer. Now it comes across as a pre-production demo of some kind. The song-writing isn’t all that either – the record contains too many fillers which makes a too big chunk of the songs forgettable. On the good side, no songs are actually crap – another thing that brings some hope for the future.
4/10
Tracklist:
1. Misery
2. Dead & Gone
3. Screaming Misfire
4. Stolen Heart
5. Constant Craving
6. Say No
7. Line Of Fire
8. Turning The Page
9. Take Me Higher
10. Just Remember
11. Forgive Me Dear
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