Richmond hardcore punk/metal band Private Hell are sharing their new EP Wake Up Screaming, the self-released follow-up to their 2023 EP Days of Wrath which was released through Persistent Vision Records.
Listen to the EP here:
Wake Up Screaming is the first record of the band since the departure of their lead guitarist Nick Walker. The new record showcases the band returning to the basics, as they follow a more riff-oriented approach. Bands such as Celtic Frost and Entombed have influenced their newly refined sound. This is also the heaviest and fastest music the band have ever produced. The EP also features a bonus cover of “Warsaw,” a track by Joy Division, whose influence has had a significant impact throughout Private Hell’s music.
Band member Mickey shares his thoughts:
“We recorded the songs with Sam Dyerly at the Pit studios in Richmond. Sam plays in the band Bracewar and has previously recorded with bands like Candy and Mutually Assured Destruction. He really helped us hone in on our tones and get really tight instrumental takes, and as a singer he really helped me find the voice I’ve been trying to find for years.
“This release is really the beginning of a new era for the band. Our first two tapes showed us tinkering with different sonic elements, but with these new songs, we have really leaned into the influences that best suit the band. We really wanted to make the most powerful and straightforward songs possible here, with elements of Swedish death metal, Japanese hardcore, British crust, and American punk being the foundational building blocks of our band. Releasing this flexi on our own was really liberating in the way that we were able to write, record, and release this in very short time, side-stepping the tediously drawn out process of traditional release cycles. We hope to release another two song single in the first quarter of 2025.”
Follow Private Hell on Instagram.
Photo courtesy of Chris Boarts Larson
