Some people just don’t help themselves. Take for instance Helstar who say, in the Press Release, “If you’re drawing up a list of the most classic and seminal bands of the 1980’s, there’s a good chance that you’d have at least one mention of the work of James Rivera and the Texas based quintet Helstar, for it was they that  pretty much invented power metal.” Now, I lived through the 1980’s (and many say that I remain rooted there) and I have to say that Helstar are not on my list of classic anything and most certainly not after spending time with Sins of the Past. 

Make no mistake, dear reader; this is an exercise in mediocrity from beginning to end. The marks awarded are because I quite like the sound, which has been mixed by Bill Metoyer. The guitars are fine if uninspired but the tunes are resolutely unforgettable or, in the case of Suicidal Nightmare, almost non existent. 

The Press Release ends with: “The Voice is back – long live the Voice!! Please God, no – aren’t there enough sub-Halfords out there? The King is Dead is so Priestastic it’s untrue but without the magic that put Birmingham’s finest on the road to being genuinely seminal. Evil Religions is pretty unlistenable bog standard thrash that I could do without ever hearing again. 

Baptised in Blood continues the tedium and I find myself re-reading the bit about inventing power metal and wonder where the melodies have  gone. What is most disappointing, though, is that the first half of the CD is better than the first. In particular, Dracula’s Castle had me reaching for the off button on my shiny new CD player as I didn’t want it contaminating with crap music. 

I suppose that if you remember the band from way back when, you may want this or even if you are a fan of James Rivera’s work in Vicious Rumors then perhaps you need to add it to your collection but for me, this is a blip in AFM’s stellar 2007.

Let us know your views on Sins Of The Past

 Track Listing

Burning Star
Suicidal Nightmare
The King Is Dead
Evil Reign
Baptised In Blood
Witch´s Eye
Tyrannicide
Harker´s Tale
Angel Of Deathe
Dracula´s Castle
Face The Wicked One
Tormentor
Caress Of The Dead

Line Up

James Rivera - Vocals Guitars
Larry Barragan - Guitars
Rob Trevino - Guitars
Jerry Abarca - Bass/Keyboards
Russell DeLeon - Drums