One of the Japanese underground's most well respected and influential bands, Hellchild's 1999 effort "Bareskin" cemented their status as one of the more innovative, interesting, and eclectic acts in metal. Borrowing influences from death metal, sludge, American hardcore, and hard rock, "Bareskin" included dynamic (but not confused or awkward) shifts in musical direction throughout this rather wild ride through the band's warped psyche. Despite releasing splits with well the well known American underground acts Discordance Axis (1994) and Converge (2000), Hellchild still (in my humble opinion) is as underrated as any in extreme music and I feel it's necessary to acknowledge what is arguably one of the more impressive metal releases in the 1990s.
The overall sound of "Bareskin" is crushingly heavy, mid-paced metal with the signature crunchy riffs of guitarist Eiichiro Suzuki and the smooth double bass-filled beats of drummer Junichi Harashima. "The Answer" and "In This Freezing Night" are perfect examples of the band's sound on this record and showcase the dynamic vocal delivery of Tsukasa Harakawa whose range travels from a guttural howl to an almost drunken style of clean singing that is certainly unique and one of a kind. Whether or not Hellchild was influenced by them at the time, one certainly hears elements of Crowbar and even the Deftones in some of the songs. The low tuning and slower pace of the music accompanies the band's signature heaviness and thick guitar sound.
If I had a label I would certainly consider packaging a Hellchild collective compilation so that American audiences can finally have access to this and other fine material by this legendary band.
- Joe