Most bands attempt to blow your mind by simply playing as fast and loud as their little arms can manage. Seldom does it convey any form of cohesive sound. When you have guitarists that try to recreate what demi-god Eddie Van Halen mastered in his tapping, you’re usually left with nothing more than thirty minutes of noodly solo baked mediocrity.
Since 2001, Hella has been blasting into the ears of all who are willing to take a trip on their fury-rock style music. On August 30th the world will have another chance to self-medicate on the constant eruption of their guitar and drum progressive rock that will spike your eardrums into an all out confusion.
As an audible version of an over-caffeinated teen with severe A.D.D., Tripper unleashes a continuous stream of methodically laid out licks that will have your fingers splitting at their ends as Spencer Seim lights the neck of his guitar on fire by flying about the fret board with mad-scientist-like precision, you’ll go numb just trying to figure it out.
As is required with albums, every song has a title even though they offer no particular insight to why. For instance, the opening “Headless,” or “Yubacore,” or even the aptly titled “Psycho Bro,” with this instrumentalized, thirty-five minute-plus jam session there is no need for naming anything. The only title that should be given to this is “Simply Outstanding”. Seim and drummer Zach Hill have mastered a sound that, done by almost anyone else, would be repetitive and obnoxious. Tripper is anything but.
The duo from California’s capital has translated their passion into an album that will have you listening to it again and again. Their ability to keep the crash-heavy drumming on par with the guitar blazing riffs takes you into a pulse pounding trip. Each grinding track bleeds into the next in an all-out roller coaster full of build ups and steep drops that have your hair flying back and blood rushing over and over.
Walking a fine line that many bands attempt to go, Hella is keeping their balance. Static breakdowns and mile-a-minute sporadic shreds develops Tripper’s personality in a way that should make the forefathers of the experimental rock genre proud.