Hitten, now that’s a strange name, is one of those cases of bands that have radically changed their sound over time, probably to their own benefit, judging by the final result. So “While Passion Lasts” may have peaked my interest with its colorful cover but in the end it won me over with its music.
Spain is a country not so famous for bands that make a career outside its borders. Perhaps the reason to this has to do with the fact that many bands prefer to sing in their native language which is a relatively inhibiting factor. Hitten took the first steps with the “Shake The World” EP back in 2012 while the first full album was released 2 years later by our very own No Remorse Records.
The band may have started with a typical NWOTHM sound but very little of their current sound reminds us of that. Nowadays the band plays a pure American school hard rock that owes a lot to great acts like Van Halen, Whitesnake and so many other beloved ones.
Who hasn’t heard the first notes of the title track and thought that this riff could be on a Van Halen album? And there are more than a few instances where the Spaniards pay homage to the bands of that generation, with various parts of their songs always bringing something to mind.
I won’t say they are copying. They don’t do anything like that just that their sound is strikingly familiar. So “While Passion Lasts” is full of beautiful melodies with great guitar work. Apart from the title track I loved “Blood From A Stone” and “Unholy Games” from the first moment. There are few moments when the band reminds us of their old self and I dare to say that they are the weakest moments of the album.
Its short duration, just 36 minutes if you remove an intro, doesn’t allow the album to lose momentum. It’s easy to listen to in its entirety. I don’t know if this change of sound will work to their advantage however I personally have already ordered my vinyl!
