The Hellphones

The East Rand Renowned Breeding Ground Of Great South African Rock Music And Home To The Hellphones. Springing From The Suburbs Of Benoni In Early 2005 The Hellphones Have Achieved A Remarkable Metamorphosis In Just Under Two Years. Going From Unknown Wannabes In Somebody’s Back Yard To A National Name On The Gig Circuit With A Debut Album Out And A Buzz Around Them That You Have To Be Careful You Don’t Shock Yourself On. In July 2005 They Won The Johannesburg Leg Of The RBF Emerging Sounds Competition And As A Result Got Themselves A Manager. In October Of That Same Year They Were Declared The Eventual Winners In The Self-Same Competition And Won Themselves A Record Deal With Sheer Music. But It Was What Happened In Between Those 2 Dates That Was So Significant. Unlike Most Battle Of The Bands Entrants The Hellphones Were Not Content To Wait And See What The Judges Had To Say. They Always Knew That What They Had To Do Was Rock ‘n Roll And The Only Way To Do That Truly And Honestly Was To Hit The Road And That Is Exactly What They Did. The Live Show Has Always Been A Hallmark Of This Hi-Octane Five Piece Band. With Three Guitars Rocking Out Behind The Mesmeric Presence Of Vocalist Tenn Elliot The Hellphones Are An Energetic Tight-As-All-Hell Live Machine. With The Rock Steady Beats Of Drummer Eddie Rastelli To Guide Them Through The Hellphones Have Always Made A Habit Of Upstaging Out-Performing And Plain Old Blowing-Away The Bands That They Play With. Not Because They Want To Not Because They Need To. It Is Just What Happens. Stylistically This Really Is Rock And Roll. Not Nu Metal Not Indie Guitar Rock Not Anything Else But Honest To Goodness Old Style Rock And Roll. With A Twist! Their Sound Is Built Around The Rock Solid Rhythm Section Of Eddie’s Drum Work And Vinnie Viva's Incredible Bass Playing. Wrapped Around This Are The Layers And Layers Of Sound Harmony And Syncopation That Is The Twin Guitar Attack Of Fredriguez On Lead And Joe Flow On Rhythm Guitars. And Then Crowning It All The Crooning Yelling Wheedling Vocals Of The Sand-And-Honey Voiced Tenn Elliot. People Have Insisted On Comparing Them To The Rolling Stones Kings Of Leon And A Whole Host Of Others But Once You’ve Seen Them You’ll Realize That They Are No More And No Less Than Just The Hellphones. Their 12-Track Debut Album “This Is How” Was Released In August 2006 To Great Critical Acclaim And Has Been Selling Well Ever Since. The First Single Has Been Steaming Up Campus Radio Charts And The Band Appearing On Every Major Festival Bill In The Country. With New Single Releases And A Video Release On The Cards Expect Great Things From The Hellphones In 2007. This Is How It Is Going To Be. read less