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HITTEN
While Passion Lasts

High Roller (2023)
Rating: 7/10

Five albums in and I’m still not quite hitting (excuse the pun) it off with these Spanish metal merchants. With a relatively new sticksman in the form of Willy Medina, Hitten remains a solid enough outfit which provides a hatful of fiery anthems, but it’s tried and tested stuff that seems hip and exciting for such a short time. The same can also be said for other acts like Enforcer and Cauldron, but I digress.

While Passion Lasts seems a rather apt title as the combo resorts to formulaic but delivered with a sizzling energy that can’t be denied. Vocalist Alexx Panza remains powerful, the drumming is solid, the bass bubbles and most importantly the guitars fizz resulting in electric streaks into the late 80s fog.

The title track explodes like a nostalgic firework driven by the twin guitar attack and those sweet, crisp melodies. ‘Mr. Know It All’ nods towards Ratt and there are the predictable wisps of Whitesnake and Dokken too, although for me it’s the speedy ‘Crimetime’ which ups the ante. Other worthy numbers are ‘Dark Stalker’ and ‘Truthful Lies’ where there is more fine axework.

So yes, Hitten continues its quest to bring true heavy metal to the kids, but I simply refuse to believe the hype. It is standard practice nowadays for bands to excitedly wade in the waters of 80s nostalgia, but rare are such meanderings anywhere close to the real thing.

Neil Arnold

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