Hell Fire Reckoning

Sometimes a band grows so exponentially from one record to the next, it’s almost jarring. Hell Fire has already established themselves as the preeminent masters of a new hybrid breed of Bay Area thrash and Nwobhm in just a few short years, but their fourth album Reckoning is the type of ascendance that truly sets a band apart. Reckoning is their Master Of Puppets, their Number Of The Beast, their Defenders Of The Faith. From the very first notes of the album opening title track, you can feel a vital new energy and inspiration to their music. To say Hell Fire used the recent global downtime to dig within and fully refine their sound would be an understatement. It truly is a reckoning. With no touring on the horizon in 2020, the band hunkered down and recorded nearly a full album in preproduction home demos. The band’s heightened professionalism also brings in guest bassist Matt Freeman (rancid, Operation Ivy) on the album after original bassist Herman Bandala departed the band amicably during the initial writing process. New bassist KAI SUN joined Hell Fire in Fall 2021.