Fed up with the state of the music industry and punk rock in general after the 2006 breakup of
the Suicide Machines, singer
Jason Navarro decided to channel his contempt and share it with the world, giving birth to
Hellmouth. Staying close to his Michigan roots,
Navarro filled out the lineup with fellow Detroiters Alex Awn (guitar) and Jeff Uberti (bass), as well as
Fordirelifesake's Justin Malek (drums). With influences from early thrash bands like
Celtic Frost and
Venom, as well as hardcore legends like
Black Flag and
Agnostic Front,
Hellmouth blend the drive of hardcore punk with the out-and-out aggression of heavy metal, creating something that's a throwback to the early days of metal without sounding like a parody.
Hellmouth released their first demo in 2008, quickly followed by the January 2009 release of their full-length debut,
Destroy Everything, Worship Nothing, on Ferret Music. The band's sophomore long-player, the Paper + Plastick-issued Gravestone Skylines, arrived the following year, and after a lengthy hiatus, the group returned in 2017 with Oblivion, which was released via Fastbreak. ~ Gregory Heaney