Throwing enough influences and stylistic left-turns into the mix to fill an entire episode of a Jools Holland show, to call Hellions a unique addition to the ever-expanding Aussie hardcore scene is a bit like calling Brock Lesnar a pretty handy lad to have your back in a bar fight.
Opening with something of a rap metal rager in Hellions before launching into shamelessly emotive post-hardcore noise with Nottingham, mixing up Creasy i) Styrofoam Lungs’ punky splatter with some funky, Letlive-esque percussive swings and casually dropping a mariachi-styled instrumental only four tracks in, second album Indian Summer pushes itself in so many directions at once that it often comes perilously close to tripping over its own momentum.
That said, when they’re able to so earnestly and shamelessly follow one-minute punk screamers like Lie with fucking violin solos only one track later, it’s hard to hold it against them.
If they can focus their energies and find a way to make their startlingly varied arsenal flow just a little bit better on record, then Hellions could yet become something very special indeed./o:p
