Review HITTEN ‘While Passion Lasts’

Heavy metal from Spain has been closely associated with the name of Hitten since 2011. The guys from Murcia joined forces in this year to embark on an exciting journey through the world of hard and heavy rock music.

Ten years ago, the Spaniards released their debut album ‘First Strike With the Devil’ and now, a decade later, ‘While Passion Lasts’ is hitting the record stores. As the cover of the record already hints at, this is a very colorful release. ‘While Passion Lasts’ not only offers a visual contrast to gray November days, but also contains ten songs that are deeply rooted in the melodic metal of the 80s. Thus, the Spaniards remain true to their sound and even if the originality factor is fairly limited, listening to the record immediately puts you in a good mood.

The band’s drummer, however, is a new addition. Willy Median took over the seat behind the drum kit and provides with his solid punch a good heartbeat for the nine melodic metal hymns.

However, it starts with an intro called ‘Prelude to Passion’ which is OK but nothing more. The title track, on the other hand, is a firework of good spirits. The verse is a bit calmer and the track builds up to the chorus – the latter sticks in your mind and this applies to all the tracks on ‘While Passion Lasts’ without exception.

The fact that the band members also listened to early Dokken can be recognized on ‘Blood From a Stone’ and Whitesnake also serve as a source of inspiration.

Then there’s the throbbing ‘Mr. Know It All’ with its Ratt references, while the fast ‘Crimetime’ provides a glorious finish.

‘While Passion Lasts’ is an entertaining melodic metal album that reminds you of the heydays of melodic metal and even if the influences of bands like Dokken, Ratt etc. are clearly recognizable, the Spaniards make up for this small shortcoming with their passion. Anyone who has a need to be shaken out of the November blues will find in ‘While Passion Lasts’ a tailor-made soundtrack.