Miracle Blood’s latest album Hello Hell would serve as a standout piece within any punk music lover’s record collection. Their new album Hello Hell, released by Nefarious Industries, is a cacophonous concoction of noise-punk, sludge, and heavy metal. The band’s sophomore LP is strange and unusual, and may be found to be the next underground favorite of those who themselves are strange and unusual.
A definitive record from the Boston-based punk outfit, Hello Hell has already earned high praise from the press – and rightfully so. The album is incredibly relevant and conveys the band reaching new sonic depths, yet it’s heavily influenced by old-school metal and punk influences. Each track serves as a bold stampede, their compositions sludging through your ears and dripping out of your speakers. Hello Hell would have been your favorite indie punk record in 1984, and it will be your favorite in 2024.
Still maintaining the iconic air of Miracle Blood’s 2022 debut album Melter, the band’s new album takes on a darker, more mature production. Both projects are equally strange and remain true to the world that Miracle Blood has created, but perhaps Hello Hell takes on a more sinister and confident persona – one that draws listeners in and keeps them from looking away.
The record begins with “Oh My Lord!,” a complex, brutal and captivating opening track. The song sets the precedent for the rest of the album’s nine remaining tracks, and listeners are then launched full speed ahead as the following song, “Phenomenon,” soon takes hold. Each track conveys Miracle Blood shining in a different light, but the entire album maintains an air of heavy and brutal – a feeling that is far noisier and nastier than Hello Hell’s predecessor.
The album’s title track proves to be a standout listen, expressing everything that defines Miracle Blood as one of noise punk’s most exciting outfits. “Hello Hell” is symphonic yet catchy, hooking listeners with its stomping guitars and Miracle Blood frontman Andrew Wong’s unrelenting screams. Famous – or maybe infamous? – for their thrilling live shows, there’s no question as to why Miracle Blood was said to have “the best scream in the city” by If It’s Too Loud.
Because of their unique musicality – one that flawlessly melds a vast variety of influences – Miracle Blood is a group that may offer something from everyone so long as curious listeners are wicked and twisted enough to explore what lies in store. Hello Hell is, without a doubt, a thoughtful and highly intentional project, but there’s just enough danger and humor in the record to show that the group does have a playful side that coincides with their darkness.
The album ends with “Prepare for Breakfast,” a number that brings old-school punk together with modern hardcore. The song’s title alludes to something beginning, and one might wonder why the song wasn’t at the top of the album. However, perhaps this is just what Miracle Blood wanted to do; rearrange what we usually regard as normal. Does the song signify a preparation for something unknown; something that soon lies in store beyond the physical boundaries of the album itself? Or is Miracle Blood merely alluding to the concept of having breakfast at the end of the day (and we all know having breakfast for dinner is way better than having breakfast for breakfast). Either way, the answer remains unclear, which is definitive of Boston’s favorite rambunctious screamers.
Buy the album here:
https://miracleblood.bandcamp.com/album/hello-hell
7 / 10
JUSTICE PETERSEN
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