Saturday, November 2, 2013
Review of Hellvar @ Airwaves '13 by WCRXFM
Hellvar
31. October @ 20:50 @ Hressó
A band with four guitars can only be described as one thing: a guitar
band. Not a huge revelation, but Hellvar fits the mold in every way
possible. In addition to the four guitar players, they sprinkle in a
bass, keys and one killer drummer allowing Hellvar to shoot out what can
only be described as a “wall of distortion.” Needless to say, Phil
Spector would be proud. Influences range from My Bloody Valentine to
Cocteau Twins and lead singer Heida exploits a dynamic vocal range
beneath a staggering amount of feedback, which is nothing if not
impressive. Even in Hressó’s chilly back patio venue, there were plenty
of power chords and refreshingly loose stage banter to keep the crowd
energized. New single “Nowhere” had people bobbing their heads before
the band got towards the end of their set, concluding: “This is our
worship Satan song.” Adorned in face paint with an upside down cross on
her forehead, Heida and Co. looked the part, and more importantly:
played the part.Source
http://wcrxfmstandby.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/iceland-airwaves-day-two-hellvar-quadruplos-and-cousins-1031/
Review of Hellvar @ Airwaves '13 by Dirk Steenhaut
HELLVAR
Over rock’n’roll gesproken: bij Hellvar, een sextet dat netjes over evenveel vrouwen als mannen beschikt, hadden vooral de gitaren het voor het zeggen. Soms zelfs met vier stuks tegelijk. In de groep, die tien jaar geleden in Berlijn ontstond, draait alles rond de flamboyante zangeres Hei∂a en snaarkastijder Elvar, maar sinds ze er een extra chanteuse bij kreeg en ook een bevlogen tweede gitariste inlijfde, klink haar sound nog voller en krachtiger dan vroeger. Het concert van Hellvar, waarin al enkele nummers werden gelucht die op haar derde cd zullen staan, hield het midden tussen energieke postpunk en melodieuze hardrock. Niks nieuws onder de zon dus, maar met de overtuigingskracht van een door de wol geverfde straatpredikant. Een uppercut, recht uit het Walhalla.
Dirk Steenhaut
http://focus.knack.be/entertainment/muziek/concertverslagen/iceland-airwaves-reykjavik-2-uit-iedere-kier-weerklinkt-muziek/article-4000439063545.htm
Over rock’n’roll gesproken: bij Hellvar, een sextet dat netjes over evenveel vrouwen als mannen beschikt, hadden vooral de gitaren het voor het zeggen. Soms zelfs met vier stuks tegelijk. In de groep, die tien jaar geleden in Berlijn ontstond, draait alles rond de flamboyante zangeres Hei∂a en snaarkastijder Elvar, maar sinds ze er een extra chanteuse bij kreeg en ook een bevlogen tweede gitariste inlijfde, klink haar sound nog voller en krachtiger dan vroeger. Het concert van Hellvar, waarin al enkele nummers werden gelucht die op haar derde cd zullen staan, hield het midden tussen energieke postpunk en melodieuze hardrock. Niks nieuws onder de zon dus, maar met de overtuigingskracht van een door de wol geverfde straatpredikant. Een uppercut, recht uit het Walhalla.
Talking
about rock'n'roll, Hellvar, a sextet
that has as many women as men, did let the guitars talk. Sometimes even with four guitars at the same time. In the group, which was born ten years ago
in Berlin, everything revolves around the flamboyant singer
Hei∂a and guitarstring abuser Elvar.
Since they got
an extra chanteuse and an inspired second
guitarist, their sound
is even fuller and more powerful than
earlier. The concert
of Hellvar, several new songs were aired to be featured on the third album, took the middle between
energetic post-punk and melodic hard rock. Nothing
new under the sun, but with the
conviction of a
seasoned street preacher.
An uppercut, straight from Valhalla.
(Translation by Wim Van Hooste)Dirk Steenhaut
http://focus.knack.be/entertainment/muziek/concertverslagen/iceland-airwaves-reykjavik-2-uit-iedere-kier-weerklinkt-muziek/article-4000439063545.htm
Review of Hellvar @ Airwaves '13 by Bob Cluness
Energy is something that you couldn’t say HELLVAR
lacked. Mind you this wasn’t too hard. They just understood that to
create a bit of noise, all they needed was a drummer who seemed ready to
kick the fuck out of his drums, and to employ what seemed like 27
guitarists on stage. It was the first moment of the night I had to whip
out the trusty old ear plugs.
There’s a certain amount of comfort and familiarity with Hellvar for me (This is the third time I’ve ended up reviewing them at Airwaves), and their set of ’90s style post-grunge rock was at once both recognisable and welcoming, playing classics from their canon such as “Ding an Sich,” “Anna Amma,” and “Falsetto” (AKA their T.A.T.U song). On stage they seemed brilliant gawky, but totally into what they were doing, especially singer Heiða, all decked out in her melted Halloween make up. They did premiere some new music, one track in particular having a really brawny and propulsive rhythm section. The small but hardcore group of fans (Hellvar-ettes? Hellvar-ites?) down at the front loved it.
Bob Cluness
There’s a certain amount of comfort and familiarity with Hellvar for me (This is the third time I’ve ended up reviewing them at Airwaves), and their set of ’90s style post-grunge rock was at once both recognisable and welcoming, playing classics from their canon such as “Ding an Sich,” “Anna Amma,” and “Falsetto” (AKA their T.A.T.U song). On stage they seemed brilliant gawky, but totally into what they were doing, especially singer Heiða, all decked out in her melted Halloween make up. They did premiere some new music, one track in particular having a really brawny and propulsive rhythm section. The small but hardcore group of fans (Hellvar-ettes? Hellvar-ites?) down at the front loved it.
Bob Cluness
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