Eldritch "Neighbourhell" - 2006 Melodic Thrash Metal Album Review

Italian heavy metal band Eldritch has been really good starting since the early 2000’s. In 2006 they went to the studio and recorded their 6^th album called Neighbourhell. This album can be classified as melodic thrash metal. This album is an excellent follow-up to their 2004 album Portrait of the Abyss Within. This album shows how to write thrash metal that works and provides a winning formula. From the opening track Still Screaming after the solid soft guitar part, you know that these guys mean business! The heavy guitars plus Terence Holler’s aggressive voice make this a solid one to start what may be the band’s best album since their debut Seeds of Rage in 1995. Eldritch has awesome, clear vocals, great guitar work, and lots of speed, technicality, and a ferocity that will keep you wanting to jump up and down while enjoying yourself in the process. These guys are for real and it’s a real shame that they are not more popular.

By this point in their career, Eldritch had already experimented with a heavier guitar sound because recall that this happened in 2001 when they released the album Reverse which was more of an industrial thrash metal sound.

Yes, Eldritch is a terrific band loaded with lots of talent. The first song called Still Screaming has good riffs, power, and more importantly, a message that encourages us to be better. As the days pass us by, the time heals our wounds and interestingly enough, I also find that I cannot live without music in my life. Save Me is about someone who is in a relationship where they feel that what the other person has done to them has confused and hurt them. In spite of this, he feels that only her words and guidance can save him which is kind of strange but it’s just one of those things in relationships I guess. One theme that has been common throughout the band’s career is the theme of relationships and romance that has to deal with a not so good situation. The song “I Don’t Know Why” off of their debut album is an example of this. The song Bless Me Now is about a person that feels like he is trapped in the quicksand of life. He feels that he has to be saved because he is being suffocated by the pain and toil of life. Life can sometimes be a drag but it is up to us to manage our circumstances in a productive manner. The Dark Inside has more melodic vocals by Holler. The song is about someone who is wondering why he is even on Earth. He wishes that he could be in heaven when the sun shines.

More Than Marilyn about not being able to trust your partner because they are using deceptive tactics to try and hurt you even when they say that they are upset about something. Some people just are not very honest but that’s the way it is in this world. Come to Life is a thrash metal classic as it contains an impressive middle section that would leave Germany’s thrash metal elites impressed. If we could turn back the clock in life if it is good to us that would be great but sometimes life puts a ton of pressures on our back and we find a way to live in much the same way that an athlete finds his or her second wind.

Zero Man is a power ballad that features some terrific vocals by Terence Holler. The song is about a man that is so distraught because he feels that no matter what he does, he cannot put an end to the emotional pain that he has suffered because of a dysfunctional relationship. He wonders how he can change his life and enable better days to come to him. The album ends with the terrific song Second World which has some of the most melodic, catchy, and terrific guitar work that I have ever heard in my life.

The good songs in this album include every single one but songs like Still Screaming, Save Me, Come to Life, The Rain, Zero Man, and Second World are the best tracks. Neighbourhell represents the peak and defining moment for this melodic heavy metal band from Italy. Even more than two decades after their inception, Eldritch are a superb talent and this CD should be in the collection of any heavy metal fan at all costs. If it were possible to give an album 100 points out of 100, this one would be the one to give it to.

If Neighbourhell and Seeds of Rage both get a 100 points out of 100 that makes for two Eldritch albums getting such a high score. This is a band that has been around since 1991 and they have been one of the most underrated bands in their home country of Italy.