Hell Below/Stars Above
Hell Below/Stars Above gives Toadies' guitar music a heavier, rougher character. The songs draw from grunge, hard rock and punk, with enough melody to keep the force from becoming the only attraction. Todd Lewis' voice adds tension through its higher notes and changing delivery. The record uses a familiar language, but the band have enough conviction to make it engaging.
The rhythm section provides a substantial foundation. Bass and drums keep the heavier passages firmly connected, allowing the guitars to sound dense without completely losing the songs underneath.
Little Sin makes that balance clear. The heavier guitar setting brings the harder side of the album into focus, with the rhythm and voice supporting the riff.
What We Have We Steal is more direct in its energy. The quicker rush gives the sequence a needed change of pace, showing that the band's approach can be immediate as well as substantial. Jigsaw Girl offers another kind of contrast, bringing a more ballad-like shape into the record without completely separating itself from the rougher material.
Lewis is important to the album's character. His vocal can move between a sharper cry and a more restrained delivery, adding feeling to arrangements that might otherwise seem too closely tied to their influences. The melodies help make the different parts of the band's sound belong together.
There is a limit to how surprising this approach can be. The guitars and familiar forms often point back towards established rock rather than a new direction. Some listeners may find the sustained density tiring, particularly when the writing offers less distinction between the stronger moments.
Still, Hell Below/Stars Above has enough energy and melodic strength to make its commitment worthwhile. Toadies sound comfortable working inside a heavier style, and the best songs connect the force of the players with an expressive vocal. The album succeeds through that combination, even when its influences remain easy to recognise.
