Powerhill Delivers Massive Metal Tendencies with The Generation X Album
- BuzzSlayers
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
The new album from Powerhill is one of the most fun metal records I've heard, probably in years. They blend elements of classic hair metal, glam rock, deepening, trudging melodic approaches, orchestrated metal, and plenty more, all on one record.
In doing so, the band has created something that is invasively addictive and packed to the brim with character and beyond outstanding guitar work left and right.
They do it all seamlessly as well. The way they blend the metal sub-genres together and create their own feelings is really intense.
Here's where the fun part comes in. They have dubbed themselves "farm metal", and that's because the songs have a bit of southern influence to them and an apparent love of cows.
Now, you may be wondering if you read that right, and you did. But wait till you hear it.
Some of the lyrics on this record are actually based on cows. Some of them are not.
It's really unbelievable, and they do this so well that it becomes infectious.
Now, it's not just straightforward; different tracks have different premises and perspectives, so let's get into it.
The title of the record is Generation X, and it kicks off with that title track, which is actually a song about being a part of Generation X.
Because I am part of this group, I really connected with this track because it's about how the 80s were an age of purity, in a sense. It's about listening to songs on a Walkman, having nothing be automated, no digital advertisements screaming in your face, being outdoors, and word of mouth being the thing that actually connected people or raised awareness for certain things.
There was a different kind of freedom back then. A freedom that only people of a certain age group can understand. We are the generation that was there before the internet was, but lived through that and every other part of Technology that's come our way since.
This track absolutely nailed the sentiment perfectly.
When I was a kid, I skateboarded to school with a Walkman with Master of Puppets by Metallica playing constantly.
So, I absolutely connect and relate to this track amazingly.
This is a banger of a single that features some of the symphonic and orchestrated mental elements, but it comes through anthemically.
It's a powerful track that feels absolutely huge, sonically driving, and the vocals really belt out with an impactful approach and closed-fisted, sing-along kind of heaviness.
It's almost inspirational.
Then we have songs like "The Fat Side", which is literally about grilling different parts of a cow.
Ferocious riffs, great progressions, perfect guitar tones that bring on that sonic presence exactly how you'd want it, and pounding drums, all punch this track.
Along with double-kick drum mastery, we have some outstanding guitar solo work, dive bombs, whammy bars, and everything else you could ask for in terms of guitar work that is hard and feels awesome.
"The One I Wanna Be" also comes through with this amazing energy level and powerful approach, with harmonizing vocals during the choruses that just stick with you for hours after the song has ended, along with heavy-handed drums that give you a deep pocket but also add a lot of electric energy and drive to the track.
This song feels more personal lyrically and reaches into a bit of inner struggle, thought process, and emotion.
"My Mood" also has a bit of emotion behind it for sure and comes across as a cinematic ballad. Some synths come through in the form of pads, so they are spacious and add a lot of vast atmosphere to the undertone of the track, which is why it has that cinematic feel.
This is also kind of personal, but spun into the farm aspect as well. The way it's put is about being with someone that you are simply happy to be around. The lyrics are so well put and so detailed that you're actually able to paint certain pictures in your head as the song unfolds.
It's like you're enamored with this person and they're all that you need. But again, it's spun into little elements of the farm metal approach as it talks about being proud of their harvest, and watering their plants as the sun beats down on them.
So, as you get through this record, you start to really understand more of where it's coming from.
The self-proclaimed "farm metal" element is almost always there. It's not consistently there throughout every single track, but when it is there, sometimes it's almost humorous, while other times it's used metaphorically.
Honestly, it's damn near brilliant.
This whole album gives you so much to chew on. See what I did there?
Seriously though, there are absolutely killer riffs, immense solos, the bass guitar has perfect tone and doesn't just add a fat low end to everything, but rather helps push things along and gives them drive as well.
The drumming across the record provides this endless energy and sort of intensity that I feel like a lot of the rest of the band pushes off of.
The vocals are the powerhouse of the record and somehow match the level of all the instrumentation.
Once you hear some of the guitar stuff going on, you'll understand how it seems like it would be hard to match that, but it's there, and it does.
So, all in all, this is some of the most well-produced metal I've heard in a while. It blends some of the subgenres in a seamless fashion and utilizes that farm metal aspect to talk about things that are a little bit more serious at times.
The whole thing is a bit light-hearted, never really over the top in terms of that seriousness, but there are real topics to talk about throughout the record.
Not only do I suggest you do not miss this record, but I also think you should be listening to it all the way through, in one shot.
There are more than a few surprises around its corners, and only then can you really get a grasp on the different aspects of how they put this together.
So, take a deep dive into this one and don't forget where you heard it first.
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