Year : 2025
Style : Power Metal , Speed Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 89 mb
Bio:
Helstar is a heavy metal band from Houston, Texas, formed in 1982. They were an influential force in the American Power metal genre emerging in the mid-80s.Helstar began with a basic metal style in 1983 with 2 demos, followed by their first studio album in 1984 titled Burning Star for Combat Records, making them label mates with Megadeth and Exodus. Struggles within the band and management issues broke apart the band line-up.[citation needed] After a year they reformed and released the Remnants of War album, also on Combat, produced by Randy Burns.In 1987 they moved to Los Angeles with another line up change, with guitarist Rob Trevino departing, and it is believed that the song "Abandon Ship", from the 1988 album A Distant Thunder, was dedicated to his departure. Along with guitarist Andre' Corbin, Frank Ferreira was an addition to drums. They signed with Metal Blade Records and recorded the A Distant Thunder album produced by Bill Metoyer. After the departure of Andre' Corbin and Frank Ferreira, Helstar regrouped again and recorded a demo but gained no interest from the labels.Shortly after, Larry Barragan left the band to pursue other interests. In 1989 the band released Nosferatu, which many fans consider their greatest album. It was based on the early Dracula film and contained spoken sound bites from the movie. Between 1990 and 1993 Helstar released a few demos that failed to receive great recognition. In 1995 Helstar released a new studio album entitled Multiples of Black, but did not achieve the quality from earlier albums and fans consider it their worst release.The members of Helstar namely James Rivera cooperated in other bands between 1993 and 2002, Seven Witches for a short time in 1993, Distant Thunder in 1995 and Destiny's End. This was a super group put together by James Riviera that released two studio albums, Breathe Deep the Dark in 1998 and Transition in 2002. Helstar went through several reunions starting in 2001. These reunions were primarily organized by James Rivera and longtime bassist Jerry Abarca.Several live albums came out of this period, but the band was unable to produce any new material. In 2006, for the first time in over 15 years, James Rivera and Larry Barragan reunited and Helstar were officially declared musically active again. Along with Abarca, Rivera and Barragan, also reunited with the Remnants of War album were guitarist Robert Trevino and Eternity Black drummer Russell De'leon. This lineup has since released Sins of the Past, "a greatest hits collection" of re-recorded songs. A new album has been released with the Remnants of War line-up in 2008 titled The King of Hell.In 2013, Helstar announced that bassist Jerry Abarca would take an extended break from the band due to a stomach related illness.Mike Lepond was tapped to take on live bass duties for upcoming shows. Helstar will release their ninth studio album This Wicked Nest on April 25, 2014
Album:
U.S. metal veterans HELSTAR will release their eleventh studio album, "The Devil's Masquerade", on September 12, 2025 through Massacre Records. The effort will be available as a limited mediabook, limited vinyl LP in various colors, and digital formats."The Devil's Masquerade" marks a powerful return to the band's roots, bringing back the classic creative chemistry between James Rivera (vocals) and Larry Barragan (guitars). The album was produced and mixed by Barragan at Hombre Malo Studios, and mastered by Robert Colwell at Colwell Mastering.Lyrically, "The Devil's Masquerade" dives deep into tales of vampirism, demonic possession, and mankind's downfall — drawing inspiration from cult horror films and series such as "Annabelle", "Midnight Mass", "The Exorcist: Pope", and even classic "Twilight Zone" episodes. Each track tells a story, blending myth, horror, and symbolism with HELSTAR's trademark power.The song "I Am The Way" features an all-star guest appearance by iconic Texas metal voices Robert Lowe, Jason McMaster, Travis Wills, George Call, Mike Soliz, Christopher Salinas, Drew Brown and Jeff Vandenburg.Rivera comments: "All I can say is that this album is every HELSTAR fan's dream come true. Larry and I went back to the old-school way of working together, and you can hear that energy from the very first track. We've taken the bull by the horns, and we can't wait for everyone to experience the magic we've always created."An influential force in the American power metal movement, HELSTAR was formed in Houston in 1982 by Barragan, who quickly assembled the band's original lineup, including Rivera. HELSTAR released its debut LP, "Burning Star", in 1984 via Combat Records, and followed it up with a string of seminal releases, including "Nosferatu", before a '90s hiatus. The band became active again with Barragan and Rivera in 2006.From "Burning Star" (1984) to milestones like "Nosferatu" (1989),and more recent releases such as "This Wicked Nest" (2014) and "Vampiro" (2016),HELSTAR have carved a unique and enduring legacy in U.S. heavy metal. With "The Devil's Masquerade", the band once again proves their legendary status, delivering a fierce and uncompromising new chapter.Barragan told Robbs MetalWorks about the task of engineering, recording and producing "The Devil's Masquerade": "It's quite an undertaking. 'Cause when you own the studio, the band takes — not takes it for granted, but they're, like, 'Well, I can't make it today. I'll be there in a couple days,' so everything gets extended, whereas if we were actually on the clock and paying [for studio time], it'd be, like, 'No, you're gonna be there.' So that's where it gets a little tough because, obviously, James and I are longtime friends as well, so it's, like, 'Oh, okay, I'll see you next weekend then,' whatever… And we had a lineup change in the middle of the recording session. There were songs that were written by [now-former guitarist] Andrew [Atwood] that, obviously, they're Andrew songs. So, we respect him and we're not gonna take them and go, like, 'Well, you were in the band when you wrote these. So, it was one of those things where you're, like, 'All right, how many songs do we have? How many have I written?' And so it turned out we still had enough to do an album. And I think there was like one additional song that came on there at the end, which was the instrumental. But everything else, I think, was kind of done."
Line Up:
James Rivera - Vocals (1982-1995, 2001, 2006-present) - See also: Seven Witches, ShadowKeep, ex-Destiny's End, ex-Distant Thunder, ex-Malice, ex-Thrasher, ex-Vigilante, James Rivera's Metal Wave, Sabbath Judas Sabbath, ex-Chaotic Order, ex-Killing Machine, ex-New Eden, ex-Vicious Rumors, ex-Agent Steel (live), ex-Flotsam and Jetsam (live), ex-Masters of Metal (live), ex-Bad Heaven, ex-Daggers Edge, ex-Malakis Reign, ex-Children of the Grave, ex-Denim and Leather
Larry Barragán - Guitars (1981-1993, 2006-present) - See also: Santa Oscuridad, Eternity Black, James Rivera's Metal Wave, ex-Betrayer
Alan DeLeon Jr. - Guitars (2024-present) - See also: Infidel Rising, Fluxus Mortis (live)
Garrick Smith - Bass (2014-present) - See also: Haserot, The Scourge, James Rivera's Metal Wave
Michael Lewis - Drums (2010-present) - See also: Squadryn, ex-Distant Thunder, ex-Outworld, ex-Six Minute Century
Tracklist:
01. Avernus
02. The Devil's Masquerade
03. Stygian Miracles
04. Carcass for a King
05. The Staff of Truth
06. Seek Out Your Sins
07. The Haunting Mirror
08. The Black Wall
09. Suerte de muleta
10. I Am the Way
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