A raw album of Portuguese Death Metal presenting a downward spiral into madness, a vision of our post pandemic society that’s slowly collapsing due to its many emerging social problems and near outbreaks of a world war.

A one-man Death Metal band formed in 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal out of the post-COVID pandemic by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist B.R. (aka Bruno Rodrigues), of bands like Rotem and Savager, the venomous beast named Hellwalker has just unleashed a raw and dirty EP titled Coldblooded, following up on the project’s 2023 self-titled debut full-length album. Continuing to worship the old school way and its sound while trying to push the threshold of the extreme by using lower guitar tunings with a more gruesome and dirtier chainsaw sound, low guttural vocals and a more polished production, Coldblooded is a downward spiral into madness, a vision of our post pandemic society that’s slowly collapsing due to its many emerging social problems and near outbreaks of a world war, showcasing B.R.’s talent and passion for the extreme during the album’s 27 minutes of visceral, raw Death Metal sounds while also enfolded by a sick artwork designed by our lone wolf himself.

The title-track Coldblooded starts in a dirty, obscure way with B.R. showcasing his most demented side through his wicked vociferations, or in other words, it couldn’t have sounded rawer than it already does, and he keeps extracting sharp and visceral sounds form his guitars and bass in Decimation while his deep gnarls will darken the skies in the name of primeval Death Metal. Love Turns into Hate is a mid-tempo tune where his riffs and drums walk hand in hand, sounding a little weird, in special the slower, darker moments, but overall it’s an interesting song; whereas Them Crooked Vultures is another eerie, cadaverous creation by our Portuguese lone wolf where his devilish vocals match perfectly the song’s somber rhythm, and with the utterly metallic sound of his bass reverberating inside our cranial skulls mercilessly.

In the thrilling Breath In Breath Out the multi-talented B.R. adds an amazing dosage of the Rock N’ Roll played by The Misfits to his wicked sonority, inviting us all to hit the dance floor and raise our horns by bringing to our avid ears an endless dosage of rebelliousness through his raspy vocals and caustic riffs. Then offering another round of old school extreme sounds blended with industrialized elements we have My Name Is Hate, with the song’s beats sounding like an evil assembly line while B.R. keeps growling in the name of darkness. And last but not least, the rhythmic Fantasmas (a Portuguese word that means “ghosts”) closes the album by presenting B.R.’s trademark fusion of Death Metal with rock and industrial sounds, sounding and feeling again absolutely dark and grim until the very end.

If you want to listen to Coldblooded in full to feel the fury and rawness emanating from B.R.’s vocals, riffs, bass and drums, you can find it on YouTube, on BandCamp, and on Spotify (where by the way you can also enjoy his 2023 self-titled debut album if you’re curious to listen to the evolution in his sound from that album to Coldblooded), as well as on Amazon Music and on Apple Music. Also, Hellwalker is not on any social media, showing how underground and primeval B.R. wants the project to be, proudly raising the flag of old school Death Metal in his homeland Portugal, and hoping for his vile noises to reach the four corners of the earth. Hellwalker is the absolute opposite of mainstream, and if that’s your cup of tea, go for Coldblooded as you won’t get disappointed at all.

Best moments of the album: Decimation and Breath In Breath Out.

Worst moments of the album: Love Turns into Hate.

Released in 2024 Rot’em Records

Track listing
1.Coldblooded 4:20
2.Decimation 3:32
3.Love Turns into Hate 1:57
4.Them Crooked Vultures 4:49
5.Breath In Breath Out 3:46
6.My Name Is Hate 5:28
7.Fantasmas 3:15

Band members
B.R. – vocals, all instruments