Track By Tracks: Hell Valley High - Hell Valley High (2024)

Mark (vocalist in Hell Valley High): General lyrical themes in our music vary from track to track. Usually, it is a mixture of the holy trinity (sex, drugs, and rock & roll), though lyric-wise feelings of solitude, a sense of belonging and the understanding that we're all connected in ways our minds can't comprehend, yet driven to take up our own space in the endless void are a big part. Or maybe it's all for shits and giggles.

Just another couple of tunes to drift off or drive on with. As Pantera once said, “Your trust is in whisky and weed and Black Sabbath.... it's goddamn electric". And I couldn't agree more...

Musically:

1. Blameless:

’Blameless’ has been with us since our start in 2021 and turned out to be a signature Hell Valley High banger. It originated in the early stages of the band but came to fruition when we completed our line-up. We love playing the song live and judging from the audience feedback, we’re not alone in that! From the opening grooves to the catchy choruses and the climax at the end; ’Blameless’ is the perfect example of what Hell Valley High is all about - and therefore a great opener of our EP.

2. Future Nomads:

This song came from an idea our bass player Niels had floating around. With its thrusting tempo and heavy groove it always gets heads nodding and crowds (and us) moving. The chorus has a bit of a '90s grunge vibe to it, a style that has influenced our music quite a bit. But the most important thing about Future Nomads: is it features a bass solo (did anyone say (Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth?).

3. To Each His Own:

This song has been the opener of every show we’ve played so far. The main riff is an ode to Black Sabbath, a very simple palm-muted open E string, followed by some basic chords. It once again has a nice groove, a Mastodon-like bridge, a heavy, very fuzzy, second bridge, and again - a very catchy chorus! It’s a tune that puts a smile on our faces and gets us all revved up to play the rest of our songs live!

4. The Grind:

The end of our set, and therefore it felt like a good way to also end our EP with this one. ’The Grind' has been the closing tune of our set since day one. It's a nice song that gets us moving, the perfect ending to 30 or 45 minutes of Hell Valley High. We all love playing that middle bridge and often we stretch it out and create space for some on-the-spot improvisation. The main inspiration for this track came from two of our favorite acts; Fu Manchu and 7 Zuma 7.

The end can go on forever - especially live it gives us a great platform to do some freaky stuff with delay pedals and endless reverbs!