With all of the fucked up shit going on in the world, I am firm believer that music can be used as a weapon of MASS CHANGE! Philadelphia-based HELL TO PAY have not only created one of my favorite hardcore records of 2018 called Bliss, but the message they are conveying lyrically is something I can relate to. What also makes this collection of blistering tunes so awesome is the way the music pairs with the thought-provoking words to paint a portrait of reality that we all need to look examine carefully. Bliss should be played LOUD and listened to on repeat so that it gets into your bones and braincells. CVLT Nation is EXTREMELY stoked to share with you HELL TO PAY’s new song “Bleed to Me” below – and make sure to get your pre-order on HERE. The official release date in March 16th via Get This Right Records.
Check out what HELL TO PAY’s vocalist Calin Yenser has to say about the track:
‘Bleed To Me’ speaks on social responsibility and karmic debt. Complacency is status quo, and this is a melodramatic comment on that. In all, there is give and take. In suffering there is reward. Free will is just as crucial a tool in levelling the karmic scale as it is in unbalancing it.
About the theme and lyrics:
I suppose the theme of the record would be the idea of perceived bliss rather than ‘bliss’ itself. We live in a place that refers to itself as ‘the greatest country on earth’ and, at least my whole life, I’ve had all this utopian horseshit shoved down my throat, and I mean, it’s pretty obvious to anyone without the stain of jingoism on their brain that we’re well in the direction of – if not already living in – some form of plutocratic police state. It also digs into mental health and spirituality, but I guess the main focus is politics – that word puts a weird taste in some people’s mouths, some weird stigma about reminding someone that their decisions mean something beyond just how they affect them. I mean, politics are intrinsic to structured societal living. I’m just writing about my life… I think obviously in a little more flowery way than my direct experience at times.
About the process:
In 2014 we had posted ‘Void’ on our Bandcamp as a teaser to Bliss. We had initially planned to release the record, in some form, in 2015, but life got in the way. John suffered a loss, Jesus Piece became, I now lived a longer distance from the rest of the band, there was a lot going on. Sometime in 2016 the ball got rolling again and Aaron took over on bass, something he frequently mentioned being interested in, and in May of 2016 we set up some studio time with Jared Stimpfl of Captured Studios. We recorded the EP with Jared and he just ‘gets’ us. So that helps. We had recorded all the music the summer of 2016, so it was really just up to me to finish up vocals and fasten on all the bells and whistles and whatnot. Well, I wasn’t exactly in the best of health, so I had admitted myself, which, while being extremely beneficial to me and myself, was another wrench in the works. I’m very much so an idealist, so combining my obsessive nature with the overall uncertainty of what we were actually doing with the record caused even more delay. Fast forward a bit through some nitpicking and deliberating and we’re where we are now.
Bliss Track Listing:
1. Starve
2. Thrive
3. Bleed To Me
4. Static
5. Runaway
6. Void
7. Second Seal
8. Smear
9. Bliss
