‘Doldrum Dynasty’ by The Hellfreaks [Song Review]

Background from the Band

Hungary’s finest sonic shifting Punk Metal upstarts THE HELLFREAKS have released their brand new video: DOLDRUM DYNASTY, the 5th single to be taken from their recent album GOD ON THE RUN (2020) has been released on their own, and via Sunny Bastards Records in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. GOTR saw THE HELLFREAKS team up with the likes of Paul Miner (New Found Glory, Atreyu, Death By Stereo) for pre-production, Evan Rodaniche (Escape The Fate, Powerman 5000, Lacey Sturm) for production, and it was mix and mastered by Tom Waltz.

The stunning, energetic and talented vocalist Shakey Sue commented: “We chose Doldrum Dynasty, because the message of our song couldn’t be more relevant today. Don’t waste your time on self-doubt, just go for it! Run for your goals, don’t stop, bring wind in your sail, be your own storm! Don’t hesitate, don’t idle, always crave for the wind in your own doldrum dynasty!”

Filmed before the second Lockdown in Budapest, Shakey Sue and Co. became more and more aware that 2020 would once again become tough, and it made them think not only about their future but also about the entire year: “We had many different expectations for the year of our album release, but not in our wildest dreams did we think that we’re going to release GOTR at the start of a global pandemic! Self-doubt and questioning ourselves were our constant companions at the beginning of Covid-19. But after all the ups-and-down, and the overwhelming feedback from all around the globe, there is not a thing we would change! 2020 is challenging, the physical and mental health of an entire civilization is something no one has faced in our lifetime … We hope Doldrum Dynasty can help ease this stress a little bit … even if it’s only for a few minutes!”

THE HELLFREAKS are currently planning a summer tour and festivals throughout Europe but at the same time are already hard at work on the next album to be released in late 2021/early 2022.

Guitars and Drums as a Collective Sound

The first thing I noticed about this song was that I enjoyed how the guitar and the drums play off each other.

I find that a lot of times when you have louder music like this, it almost feels like the guitar and the drums are fighting each other to be more prominent in the mix, and it ends up just coming out as a lot of noise as opposed to a collective sound.

This song does an excellent job at having moments where the guitars were prominent and moments where the drums are more pronounced.

I also just really like the guitars in general on this song.

Some cool effects are used on it, and they don’t only strum chords, which is an issue in a lot of rock music.

I also appreciate that they’re not doing many solo moments with the guitar. Often, when people play guitar fast they’re really just doing scales.

There a little flourish moment where that can happen, and it can emphasize a moment in the song, but they also know when to pull back and let the music breathe in the intervals.

A Chorus Full of Energy

I like how full they’re able to make the chorus of this song sound.

It can be delicate in negotiation between having a full sound and not drowning out all of the different layers because there’s too much noise happening. And since this is a rock song, it’s meant to be loud and energetic and aggressive, so it does tend to teeter on that edge of having a full, balanced sound and being a chaotic mess.

In this case, they’re good at filling in the back of the mix so that all of the elements that you need to hear you still can, which includes the leading vocals not getting drowned out. It elevates the sound so it has a more epic atmosphere to it.

If Vocals Could Kill

Of course, we have to talk about the leading female vocals on this song.

I always love coming across female singers in rock music because it doesn’t happen a lot, and it’s a tricky tone to get right.

I know, for me at least, I cannot do an aggressive and manipulated vocal very well, so I have a lot of respect for people who can sing a whole song and sing an entire discography with that kind of tone.

And it’s done well here where there’s the more gritty and aggressive sounding vocal when it needs to happen, and then there are more pulled back, is not necessarily clean, vocals.

I would be interested in listening to this band and seeing what kind of other vocal dynamics she has in her voice. However, I really like the energy and the rough rock sound in this particular song.

Rating:

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