by Marley
Let’s talk about Hellcats. If you thought rock ‘n roll was dead or that it is now limited to your 90’s album collection I have some serious breaking news for you. Prepare your ears, prepare your mind for the 2 men, Johannesburg based band. A mixture of all the good and all the bad things are thrown together like Jägermeister and sex. The Hellcats just released their first studio album “The Hex and Healer” and have reached the #3 spot on the iTunes Album Chart. And you can take that to the bank.
The Hellcats have released their first studio album “The Hex and Healer” and for the love of everything holey don’t think for a minute they are a cheerleading squad (see Google). These guys are the guys you want at your keg party, thrashing the drums and guitar, getting your girlfriend wet and your boyfriend high. Much like their song “Vuilgoed” because I want that song to play at my next wild night out with vodka shots and bad decisions.
Hellcats is a stripped down, bare-knuckle rock ‘n roll two-piece from Johannesburg, South Africa. With Alessandro Benigno on drums and vocals and Warwick Rautenbach on guitar, they’ve created a sound that is hard and fast – with driving riffs, wailing vocals and a clear ‘70s rock influence.
If you haven’t seen HellCats live yet then do yourself the favour, make a plan and do it. Put your new cat suite on and throw your undies away because these men will blow you away. Being the opening band for the day with Seether when they were here in 2018, brought something to that massive stage that had many people going “Who the fuck is this band? They are fucking awesome!”
Yes, readers, this comes from going to festivals that are well worth my money and seeing every single band possible. I fell in love with the Hellcats at Mieliepop 2018 and man oh man, can I go back and have some more. The quality of this band on that weekend was just insane when some of the bands for the Friday night couldn’t make it on time, these guys took to the stage and just to fuck with our minds all over again their music was unashamedly raw and their live performance was full throttle.
If you are listening to “The Hex and Healer” don’t expect a moment to take your breath from your head banging or plotting to escape your office duties. This is the perfect shitty Monday music to cheer your dead soul up. “Moonshine” is another favourite that I just can’t get enough of. “Something Wicked” is my new stripper song, guys’ holy hell, this is what it is to be alive in today’s forms of rock ‘n roll.
Craig Hawkins explains, “We kept the production straight-up – two entities filling up the audio spectrum, one riff, one drum groove, one vocal trying to get into your brain and shake it relentlessly. We also kept the format true to a two-piece. There is no bass recorded and everything comes from only two guitar takes. The drums were not replaced or tightened, and I worked with what we recorded. Although we could have gone to town on the production and layered it with synths and bass and augment the drums, multi-layer the vocals and work out a million harmonies – we kept it simple and tried to show the aggression and power we witnessed from the band just thrashing it out.”
The Hex and The Healer is one of the best albums to start your 2019 off to and is a must download for any rocker. This album will be on repeat when you gym, sleep, make love, drive and eat. You can’t pass on it and if you are lucky enough to see them on tour, go. Don’t hesitate for a moment, don’t give up or in. The Hellcats are here for your rocking soul and there is nothing you can do about it.“The Hex and The Healer” is one of the best albums to start off your 2019 to and is a must download for any rocker. This album will be on repeat when you gym, sleep, make love, drive and eat. You can’t let this album past you and if you are lucky enough to see them on tour, go. Don’t hesitate for a moment, don’t give up or in.
The Hellcats are here for your rocking soul and nothing you can do about it.
Get your copy of “The Hex and the Healer” on your favourite online store:
