Helstar – The Devil’s Masquerade (Massacre Records)

True legends of the Texas metal scene, Helstar have been around for 44 years now, although with several periods of inactivity. Guitar maestro Larry Barragán and the unique vocalist James Rivera have been there from the start, drummer Michael Lewis joining fifteen years ago, Garrick Smith playing the bass since 2014 and Alan DeLeon Jr. joining on guitar last year. Even though Helstar released a compilation with three new songs in 2021, there was a long nine-year wait for a full-length since the last one Vampiro.

Now, the good news is that Massacre Records are back on track after a hectic start of the year and The Devil’s Masquerade is definitely planned to be the top priority release for the label in 2025. After a short ominous intro, the title track blew my head off with some insane guitar riffing from Barragán, a speed-thrash bomb of the highest quality. Rivera sounds as convincing as ever, once again singing blood-curdling tales of terror with his inimitable semi-operatic, theatrical blend.

Stygian Miracles is another speed metal tornado with great melodies and semi-progressive guitar parts, bringing to mind the classic album Nosferatu (1989). When Helstar slow down just a little bit for the fantastic trio of Carcass For A King, The Staff Of Truth and Seek Out Your Sins, they show how US power-speed metal is done. If you ever wondered why this band has such a cult status in the scene, the answer is here, in this album. Seek Out Your Sins funnily displays a guitar riff and tempo very typical of Attacker and Metal Church, but hey, these bands were all among the originators of this style, playing side-by-side on the same stages in the mid-Eighties.

The Haunting Mirror shows just how good Rivera is, singing like a man-possessed with at least four different voice patterns. Unbelievable! The Black Wall is another whirlwind of guitars, topped with an out-of-this-world solo, the harmonies and melodies telling a tale of their own, while Rivera screams his lungs off. Suerte De Muleta is a great instrumental track where Lewis and Smith shine on the rhythm section, with another stellar guitar solo to top it off. This fantastic album is rounded off by I Am The Way, a heavy-speed old school masterpiece, where some old friends of the band appear on vocals, Rob Lowe (Solitude Aeturnus, ex-Candlemass), Jason McMaster (Watchtower, Dangerous Toys, Ingnitor) and Travis Wills (Crimson Glory) being some of the guests.

Sure, the artwork’s a bit cheesy and lazy, but who cares, when we have one of the absolute best old school albums in 2025 from a legendary band? The Devil’s Masquerade is pure gold and well worth the nine-year wait. Don’t be a fool and buy this hammer when it’s out next week.

9/10

Helstar in Facebook

The Devil’s Masquerade is out on September 12^th and can be ordered from HERE

Helstar on tour:

28.11.2025 Greece, Thessaloniki, Eightball

29.11.2025 Greece, Athens, An Club

30.11.2025 Greece, Agrinio, Metal Union

03.12.2025 Slovenia, Medvode, Klub Jedro

04.12.2025 Italy, Torino, El Barrio

06.12.2025 Germany, Oberhausen, Helvete

07.12.2025 Belgium, Diest, Hell

08.12.2025 Germany, Munchen, Backstage