Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Hitten State of Shock Company: No Remorse Release: 2016 Genre: Traditional, NWOTHM Reviewer: Eric Compton

Superior to its predecessor

Spain's section of the NWOTHM scene is made up of young acts like Leather Heart, Enrager and Iron Curtain. Add five year veterans Hitten to the list. The band shopped a one song CD-R demo of 'Darkness Queen' in 2011. In early 2012, the band self-released the 'Shake the World' EP featuring Steeler cover "Maniac". The band followed in 2013 with a three song 7" called 'Evil Power' via Anger of Metal Records (Armour/Titan Steele). Later that year the band attracted the attention of No Remore Records (Warlord, Omen) and released their debut album for the label in April of 2014. The band's sense of traditional 80s-styled metal was worn on the sleeve, with cuts like "Ladykiller" and "Stand and Fight" cross purposing British and German anthemic metal. The debut was released on vinyl through Heavy Forces Records and cassette by Roots Active Productions.

The band prefaced their sophomore release with a teaser single called 'Don't Be Late' that was released as a 7" courtesy of High Roller. The B-side contained "Red Lights" and a cover of Mad Max cut "Shout & Cry". On March 1st of 2016 the group released ‘State of Shock’, a ten track full-length recorded at Moontower Studios and mixed by Javier "Bastard" Felez (Graveyard, Hellspawn Magazine). The five-piece continue to be a whirlwind of lightning quick fretwork, borrowing the energy and passion of the 80s while standing in line for their turn to hold the torch (for a few seconds, the line is long). The album is superior to its predecessor with more polish and hook that is grafted between the high-speed runs. It seems paint by numbers often, see "Victim of the Night" and the rip-off of "Where Eagles Dare" on "Rites of the Priest". But as Dimebag once said, "we don't steal riffs, we just borrow them." Hitten on their own are ferocious, but by 2016 even this NWOTHM scene has become rather stale (I haven’t even played the last Stryker album yet!). Give it a solid listen and it might snap your Slim Jim. For me, I’m still waiting for some genuine beef.