Barely over a year and a half ago Hades recorded a "reunion" CD entitled SaviorSelf. Originally recorded just for fun, (something that was lacking at the time of the band's demise during a 1989 European Tour) the band planned to release the cd themselves. No live shows were planned, but then something unexpected happened... Metal Blade Records expressed an interest in releasing the cd worldwide.

Hades wound up not only filming their first video, but they shot two in the forms of Active Contrition and Y2K. Hades played their first show in four years to a sold out gig in their native New Jersey. That night, looking out at the packed house of metalheads both young and old, the band realized that playing in Hades was indeed fun.

The band had just ten rehearsals before recording SaviorSelf, but the prep work for their follow-up The Downside would have the benefit of one year's worth of steady rehearsals. They holed up in Jersey City's Big Blue Meenie Studios for a solid month of recording and mixing and emerged with what the band feels is the piéce de resistance, (no pun intended) of their fifteen year career-The Downside. Bigger budget, bigger songs, a longer more diverse recording than SaviorSelf, The Downside captures Hades at their most creative peak to date. In founder Dan Lorenzo's words, "This is the eleventh record I've released and even though I'm at a different stage in my life now, I can't believe how excited I am about this new record!" With songs that musically run the gamut between the earliest energetic Hades speed metal to the dirge-like doom of Non Fiction, (Dan and Alan's band during the early 90's) Hades also explores new ground with songs like "The Me That Might Have Been" an introspective trance-like sonic journey. Their trademark heavy and harmonious guitars dominate this disc though, and singer Alan Tecchio delivers the goods like never before. Lead guitarist Ed Fuhrman continues to push the envelope of "technemotion" in his lead playing and riff writing while drummer Dave Lescinsky's sophomore effort with the band finds him further developing innovative kick drum patterns and pumping up the overall rhythmic mayhem. Bassist Scott LePage, living halfway across the country in Texas, only performed on two Downside songs-Ground Zero N.Y.C. and The Me That Might Have Been. Most of the bass tracking was done by Dan and Ed.

In the newfound spirit of fun, Hades also asked some old friends the likes of D.D. Verni from Overkill, Mike Cristi, (former Non Fiction drummer) and hardcore legend Billy Milano to take part in the recording. Singer/lyricist Alan Tecchio had this to say about The Downside, "Every band says their new cd is the greatest thing blah, blah, blah. We've been guilty of that in the past too. This time however it's simply the truth."




Source : http://www.truemetal.org/mastersofmetal/hades.htm