Hellbender: The Resistance
Self-Released, 2023
9/10
Listen to Hellbender: The Resistance
The sax wizard Jared Sims meshes rock and jazz in a way that few others could, where he brings along Andrew Stern, James Rohr, Marc Friedman and Randy Wooten for these unique 7 tracks.
“Ensuing Plight” gets the listen off to a dense start, where Stern’s thick guitar and Wooten’s firm drums give the track a hard rock edge, and “Infinite Colossus” follows with Sims’ bright sax front and center amid Friedman’s playful bass acrobatics in the firm climate.
“Earth” and “Vertigo” land in the middle, where the former is strong on atmosphere and unfolds with a haze of timeless jazz qualities, while the latter is a rich and animated jazz-rock album highlight that benefits much from the lively rhythm section and crunchy guitar. “Orbital” exits the listen, and it’s a reflective tone of warmth and intimacy that flows with a reflective demeanor.
A very distinct listen that takes influence from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Steve Grossman and Miles Davis, Sims and company make for an experience you won’t soon forget.
Travels well with: Wayne Alpern- Saxology; David Larsen- The Peplowski Project