Hell’s Gazelles: There are no girls and these guys aren’t light on their feet as the urban dictionary would suggest of the meaning of ‘a gazelle’. First formed in high school by Cole Bryant (vocals) and Nath Dignam (guitar) the two friends brought in members Dan Podbury (bass) and Luke Evans (drums). Kicking around on the Oxford music scene, they have been the local support act for bands such as The Treatment, Massive Wagons and The Amorettes. Also, as winners of 2015’s Metal to Masses completion, they earned themselves a spot on the ‘New Blood Stage’ at Bloodstock.
Introducing their self titled debut EP, Hell’s Gazelles invite you to be seduced with a promise of old school rock and heavy metal. Opening with an instrumental aptly named Intro, the drums at the start remind me of ‘You could be mine’ by Guns n Roses, but as they change beat the bass and guitar crescendos nicely for this 45 second piece. A rhythmic guitar leads you into the next track You Ain’t Nobody, Singer Cole has all the yeah, yeah, yeahs and enough falsetto on the vocal so it doesn’t come across as too sleazy. Third track Dr Strangechild definitely has that 80’s heavy metal vibe of early Iron Maiden, with the vocal styling of Rob Halford. Nothing Ventured sounds like an extension of the previous track, but having said that the vocal is notably different and you can feel the song has more depth and a harder edge. Brain Dead slows down the pace but not the vibe of the EP; with a melodic sense of Dio, this anthemic track shows you the musical variety that band are capable of. Shivers is the little gem they have saved for last, a fast, bluesy, classic rock number with oomph.
Hell’s Gazelles are a band to watch out for and this EP has lots of promise for album material. You can catch the four piece promoting their self titled EP on their 11 date UK tour throughout September.
Released 10th September 2016
Hell’s Gazelles are a band to watch out for and this EP has lots of promise for album material.
