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HITTEN
Twist Of Fate

High Roller (2018)
Rating: 7/10

The heavily lauded Hitten have somewhat flattered to deceive since their 2011 inception, in my opinion.

The Spanish act has been responsible for some very good, straight up heavy metal albums, the last being 2016’s State Of Shock. Twist Of Fate is the band’s third outing and the first to feature new singer Alexx Panza who, it must be said, has a fair set of steely pipes on him as the band cruise through a veritable feast of smoky 80s-styled metal anthems.

Hitten have been very much part of the highly acclaimed metal revival that’s been doing the rounds for some time now and should, I guess, be respected on its own merits, in spite of an overabundance of bands still attempting to imitate the past. Let’s give Hitten credit, though; they rock hard, produce killer melodies and also display numerous shades, in turn combining the effective use and versatility of the vocals with the varying avalanches of sound. It sounds like something from around 1986 to 1987, all blades glinting as the percussion tumbles without effort, and also with matched ease comes the deft yet very metallic and smooth guitar sound complemented by the nifty bass lines.

You can’t really ask for more from a heavy metal album, except of course that by being part of such a thriving scene, so many bands tend to deliver that killer blow to make them stand out against the crowd. For me, Hitten have always just slightly fallen short of being kings of the recently constructed metal castle. Indeed, as sentinels on watch at the side of the king, they remain masters of their trade, but that’s the big difference between a majority of today’s bands and the acts they have looked up to, namely the likes of Iron Maiden, Accept, Judas Priest etc.

Hitten, just like Enforcer and the rest of the crowd, just don’t have what it takes to be true kings of metal – immortal artists that will go down in history – but I still enjoy the dynamics and look provided. Okay, so gone are the more dense vocabulary traits of Aitor Navarro, meaning that Hitten circa 2018 has shinier armour and a finer-tuned arsenal for others to contend. Lead tracks such as ‘On The Run’ and ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ provide more clinical and sneering assaults, the former being a balls to the wall head banger that shines like a beacon with its devilish melody.

Alexx Panza’s vocals soar above the smoke and dry ice in typical 80s fashion, while with ‘In The Heat Of The Night’, the band somehow straddles the gap between, say, Kiss, Judas Priest and melodic rockers TNT. That’s the benefit of having a soulful vocalist such as Panza and that killer axe attack of Dani Meseguer and Johnny Lorca, the combo shifting nicely from fast-paced, driving rockers such as ‘Take It All’, ‘Final Warning’ and ‘Flight To Freedom’, while defter touches are applied to ‘Evil Within’, which boasts thrashy dynamics before the subtlety emerges. It’s clear that the band, especially with the cover art, is intent on recreating some sort of 80s time machine which transfers to the music as the likes of the pacey yet poorly titled ‘Rocking Out The City’ is delivered in high heat amidst a barrage of fireworks.

It’s hard to fault the musicians involved, but I still feel that Hitten lacks a big hit or the ability to shift into a higher gear for a mighty push for stardom. Nevertheless, Twist Of Fate does remain an engaging album and one sure to keep their fanbase happy.

Neil Arnold

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