The Apparatus - Hella - There's No 666 in Outer Space

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Hella - There's No 666 in Outer Space

Thursday, 13 December 2007

Editor's rating

9.4

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Alex Harrison
Top 10 Reviewer
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Friday, 14 December 2007
Average user rating: 10.0
1 User reviews

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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. World Series
02. Let Your Heavies Out
03. The Ungrateful Dead
04. Friends Don't Let Friends Win
05. The Things That People Do When They Think No Ones Looking
06. Hand That Rocks The Cradle
07. 2012 And Countless
08. Anarchists Just Wanna Have Fun
09. Dull Fangs
10. Sound Track To Insecurity
11. There's No 666 In Outer Space

Artist: Hella
Title: There's No 666 in Outer Space
Genre: Alternative • Progressive Rock
Release Date: 30 January 2007
Record Label: Ipecac Recordings
Format: Full-length
Country: United States of America
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Editor review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful


Overall rating (weighted)		9.4
Musicianship		9.0
Composition		9.0
Experimentation		10.0
Production		9.0
Value		10.0

I myself am not savvy with all these crazy west coast bands and had never heard much of Hella before being handed this release. I knew they had been around for a while and started off as just a two-piece with only Spencer Seim on guitar and Zach Hill on drums. There's No 666 In Outer Space is the band's first album with a new line up and vocals on every single track. I'm sure this must have worried a handful of the old school Hella fans at least a bit (It's okay, you can admit it!) but they have nothing at all to worry about, There's No 666 is easily Hella's fullest and most complete album to date and their inclusion of Aaron Ross on vocal duties, Carson McWhirter on bass and keys and Hill's brother Josh as the second guitar player. Hella have never sounded better. This album is one of the most exciting releases of the year, I guarantee you haven't heard anything like it.

The album opener, "World Series", perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album and let's the listener know what their getting themselves into. Right from the beginning you're bombarded with off-the-wall guitar melodies, furiously complex drum patterns and ethereal vocals. The entire album does not relent with these things. Each song is a marvelous coagulation of technical dexterity and musical harmony, with not one thought or idea rehashed or halfheartedly done.

It's obvious to see that all of the members of Hella are greatly accomplished musicians creating a completely original style and sound with their own instruments. The member I am amazed at time after time is Zach Hill. Now everyone in the group are all brilliant in their own right but Hill's drumming is really something to marvel at. The man is completely self-taught and plays on just a small 5 piece kit (from what I have seen anyway) and manages to create some of the most creative and exciting patterns and rhythms I've heard. This guy only has one bass pedal but if you just heard it, you'd swear he had at least three. He must have some extra arms he doesn't tell anyone about because it honestly baffles me how he plays what he does without so much as a second to take a break. He perfectly compliments his band mates' fast and furious guitar and bass lines and along with Ross' surreal vocals, Hella have created this work of art that deserves everyone's attention. They have made this style of playing each instrument that has never been done the way Hella does it before, and even if this style has been done before I can guess that it has surely not been done as well as it has on this album.

Really.

Aside from the band's earlier releases, There's No 666 In Outer Space sounds like nothing I have ever heard before. The album is a true milestone in the field of progressive music.

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Last updated: Friday, 14 December 2007

User reviews

Average user rating from: 1 user(s)


Overall rating (weighted)		10.0
Musicianship		10.0
Composition		10.0
Experimentation		10.0
Production		10.0
Value		10.0

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Wednesday, 19 December 2007

Written by Luke Laplante - View all my reviews - Top 50 Reviewer


Overall rating (weighted)		10.0
Musicianship		10.0
Composition		10.0
Experimentation		10.0
Production		10.0
Value		10.0

Takes a little to get used to the vocals but this is a pretty epic album. There has been debate about 4 piece vs. 2 piece Hella. The bass playing on this is fucking brutal and really completes their sound. It's what Hella always needed. I wish they would have released a instrumental version of this album. It would make for an interesting A/B comparison. I'm not a huge fan of emo vocals but they have moments of being complimentary. They sound like Geddy Lee's emo Nephew. Maybe if he sang 50% of what he sings on the album I'd be 100% down. This album has it's Mars Volta-isms but drummer Zack Hill is out of his Californian mind. "The ungrateful dead" is my favorite track. That's where the bass really shines while the drums are making a solo into a precise song. I like the fact that the keyboards are only used as soundscapes and FX here and there and not over used. The title track is a great exercise in overlapping and sounds soothingly brutal with Voivod-esque robot vocals. Overall this releases' foundation seems to lay on the overwhelming prowess of the drums and bass while the stereo guitars fall right into place to create severe progressive brutality and pop sensibility in a world of soulless "tech" metal. LL

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Last updated: Wednesday, 19 December 2007

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