Borderline great, still good

Hailing from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, HELLWAY TRAIN are one of many Brazilian metal bands keeping the trad scene alive in South America’s largest country. First formed in 2010 and releasing an EP ‘Breaking the Cage’ in 2014, before splitting in 2015, HELLWAY TRAIN returned in 2020 with a vengeance. The 2021 EP ‘Lockdown Reborn’ being their proper return, before recording a split album with HELLGUN in 2021. Since then, HELLWAY TRAIN spent 2023 releasing a few singles to preview ‘Borderline’, which brings us to the reason we’re all here today.

LINE-UP
Marc Hellway – Vocals
Vinicius Thram – Guitars
Chris Maia – Bass
Jon Albert – Drums

Album art by Fernando Giotefeli

REVIEW

Like many, my first exposure to HELLWAY TRAIN was their 2022 split album with fellow Brazilians, the late HELLGUN. Since then “Out of the Cellar” has remained a staple of my playlist, and a song that I rarely tire of. I found myself wondering when HELLWAY TRAIN would release some follow-up material, and that has finally arrived. This one somehow managed to slip through my release radar back in April, so this is my first time getting to it.

“Boiler Room” was an ambient synth-driven affair that served as the intro for the album. It felt very 80s, like something that wouldn’t be out of a place in a badass 80s sci-fi movie. There were some great organ parts as well that reminded me of such stage plays as Phantom of the Opera. A guitar riff did begin about halfway through the track, and gradually built up for some time. As all of the pieces worked together, we leave the boiler room and enter…

“Hell on Earth”. BY GOD, that opening riff is freaking magic! Admittedly, I am a bit unsure on how I feel about the mixing for this one. It is crisp and clean, but perhaps too much. Despite that, HELLWAY TRAIN bring their A-game for the proper album opener. Great vocal work and a real earworm of a chorus. Now that mid-point mood swing really propelled this one to the next level. Certified banger territory. In this sequence, it very much reminded me of a similar sequence in JUDAS PRIEST’s “Nightcrawler”.

“Born to Rock Hard”. Another great riff to start off, and this one had a decidedly early 80s feel to it. Not NWOBHM, but more that proto-glam metal from the likes of TKO, CRUE, and even a bit of QUIET RIOT. Now the chorus in this one was even more addictive than the one in the previous track, and it had that feeling of a song that I’d never tire of.

“Bounded to Devour”. A quick and punchy track that did its job well, and broke up the flow of the album in a nice way. Showcasing a more fast-paced sprint, without sacrificing any of what made the previous tracks great. It having a shorter runtime not only works in its favor, but also in the albums. Also, the solo is kicked off with a bend, which is always the way to get me to love it.

“Outbreak”. An instrumental affair that began with a smooth as hell bassline, before a classic NWOBHM-tinged riff erupted. I haven’t mentioned the drumming thus far in this review, but in this track was really where my ears picked up on it the most. It’s steady and crisp

“Ghost (Over the Night)”. Admittedly, this one didn’t quite hit me in the same way that the other tracks had. That being said, Marc Hellway, not be confused with his alter ego Mark Train, was belting his ass off here. His vocal performance was easily the showstealer of the track.

“When Love Becomes A Lie”. Another instrumental, this one with some nice flamenco-tinged guitar work and a bit of a foreboding ambiance in the background. I never know how to review instrumentals as someone who doesn’t play music, beyond saying things like “that sounds cool!”. And this did, in fact, sound pretty cool.

“Cold Town”. Ooh, a sizzling bass intro before a really grooving riff that, for some reason, reminded me of Mad Max. I have no idea why, and I’m not going to think about it too much. This track felt a bit middle of the road for me. I liked it, but I didn’t love it, though there were flashes throughout that I did love. I think it might be one that grows on me though.

“Gateways to Arkham Asylum”. The final track, and the longest one. Because of that, it had more time for build-up, and that was spent with some great riffs and real fireworks on the drums. Once more, Mr. Hellway is a walking air raid siren on this one. Great work! By the end of the track though, I felt like it hadn’t quite taken that next step.

CONCLUSION

A solid first outing! While the first half of the album was stronger than the second half in my opinion. Borderline was a another stellar release added to the already stacked year that 2024 has been for NWOTHM. HELLWAY TRAIN have established a great foothold to spread their music and develop their trad metal sound. I look forward to their next releases. Still kicking myself for completely missing this when it first released!

TheNWOTHM Score: 7/10

HELLWAY TRAIN’s ‘Borderline’ released on 5 April, 2024
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