Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It was a place steeped in debauchery and sin, a location of vice and intrigue and in which many deeds were committed in the name of notoriety; a society in which the powerful and mighty could “Do what thou wilt”. Yet for The Hellfire Club in which the sounds of majesty appear in their latest album Songs For The Fallen Stars, the motto of “Do what we can for you” would be more appropriate.
The Glasgow band are more than adept at causing a stir with their music, the seven musicians play together as if linking arms and cheering the thought that next year will be the crusade, the time in which their name is engraved into all hearts and minds; all things being equal, Songs For The Fallen Stars should be that moment in which the fight is joined and the beat, long and glorious, is appreciated fully.
If the 18th Century establishment run by Dashwood had been anything like this 21st Century music equivalent, then the members of the time might have had more to take their minds of such shenanigans and revolting revels, instead Robert Anderson, Rab Armour, Helen Brown, Willie Brown, Mark Ferrari, Kenny Irvine and Nick Ronan fill the name of The Hellfire Club with pride and a certain amount of honour that would be seen out of place in another time.
There is so much to Songs For The Fallen Stars that it is possible to believe that some of the more defining moments could be lost into the ether, such is the way the album unfolds, the music carries through with endless enjoyment that if not for very careful attention they blend together as if being moulded to make a single song, a cry in the light for the unheard moments between songs. This approach makes it almost uniquely novel and whilst the songs, such as Sun in the Sky, Private Campbell, Hint of the Wink and the excellent Dali’s Clock have their own personal pedigree, like life, they are all one story, just divided by time and the experiences and loves of the seven members of the band.
For The Hellfire Club this natural progression is nothing short of superb, it has mood, brimstone and the sweet sound of beautiful alliance woven through each minute, the establishment of a new order is always welcome, especially when the Hellfire is content.
Ian D. Hall