HITTEN – Twist of Fate (Album Review)

Viva Espanola! I’m not familiar with the work of Spanish metallers Hitten prior to Twist of Fate. I understand they issued a couple of EPs and two full-length albums, (First Strike with the Devil and State of Shock). The latter long-player, the fruit of their partnership with High Roller Records. Not bad for a band who only began life in 2011, I say. The sophomore album saw a marked improvement on the band’s rather naïve debut effort, altogether a more rounded effort. “Me and the boys are pretty satisfied with how State Of Shock was received,” explains guitarist Dani Meseguer. “The album reached a lot of shops, labels, magazines, and webzines all over the world. It also took us on a really good tour around Europe, we played cool festivals and appeared in Japan for the very first time. We are really happy with how High Roller Records works overall.” 

Riding high on that success didn’t last long, soon suffering the blow of losing their vocalist. In a twist of fate, Alexx Panza quickly filled the void. Says Meseguer: “Alexx is a gift from heaven, he was there for us at the perfect time.” We find the remainder of Hitten consisting of Satan (bass), John Sinx (drums), and Johnny (guitar).

A thunderously mounting lead-in greets at the outset of HITTEN – Twist of Fate. Then like a shot from a starter’s pistol the gates fly open and the horses are off at a full gallop! A traditional metal race to the finish line. That’s the start of Hitten‘s Twist of Fate opening selection “Take it All”. There’s also enough melody and sing along abilities to please the most discerning of Hard Rock fans. These qualities flow throughout the release which became available on September 14, 2018.

Tracks such as “Final Warning”, “Flight to Freedom”, and “On the Run” really stand out. Check out the official “On the Run” video below to sample the sounds of Hitten. Of the ten compositions, there’s only one that I can do without and that’s “Svccvbvs”. First of all, it’s one of those little more than a minute long waste of time intro things placed at the halfway point. Second of all it oddly breaks the rolling thunder, fist-pumping atmosphere of HITTEN – Twist of Fate. But I never have the time of day for this style of track, so I might be biased.

All in all an excellent effort that has me seeking out their earlier outputs. Who knows, this one may even be in the “Top albums of the year race” for me.