Formed in 2019 and based in Australia, you will find members located along the East Coast between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Hellz, the original name of Hellz Abyss, was the brainchild of lead singer Lisa Perry and her former axe man Jeff Young of Megadeth fame. After their partnership dissolved, Lisa decided to continue as a solo artist under the very same name of Hellz. It was then in 2019 that Lisa met and welcomed former Screaming Jets drummer Mark McLeod to the band, who is arguably one of the top technical drummers Australia has to offer. In 2020, Lisa and Mark welcomed bassist Mick Jones into the fold, and from here, finding a lead guitarist was a bit hit and miss for a while, but soon found the talents of Dean Fistlord, where it was evident that he was the perfect fit for the band. In 2020 Lisa met Daryl Holden, who at the time had his own project called The Abyss, and after finding the perfect common ground together as songwriters, decided to join forces calling themselves Hellz and The Abyss, which later evolved into Hellz Abyss.

Lisa first got the passion to perform at 7 years old, regularly attending a dance club at the weekend where a great many well-known acts would perform. And so, with $2 in her hand, and stars in her eyes, Lisa would get up and sing on the main stage in her lunch break, completely immersed and in awe of the lights and the huge sound system that surrounded her, and little did she know that she her $2, had just bought her future.

From a very young age, Lisa has always had a natural ear for music, picking up many instruments along the way including, keyboards, guitar, bass and her father’s drums, mastering many vocal styles in Metal, Rock and Opera, looking up to Freddie Mercury as her idol for his unmatched voice, stage presence, personality, charisma and talent.

Since that time, Lisa has performed in front of audiences of over 40,000 strong at the Sydney International Regatta Centre for the National Australia Day celebrations, and at Australian retired music festival The Big Day Out. Along the way, she has shared the Australian main stage with Australia’s Johnny Diesel, Mark Seymour from Hunters and collectors, the aforementioned Jeff Young and has recorded and collaborated with Baron Rojos, Gorka Alegre and Metalium guitarist Tolo Grimalt.

Now, due to their widespread locations, booking a show is a breeze along the East Coast of Australia. But due to the current pandemic, further bookings have been curtailed somewhat, especially now, as our Australian friends have stepped into the very same full lockdown experience the rest of the world had endured in previous months. Fortunately, the band was lucky enough to put on an amazing show in Melbourne just before their lockdown started in June, and are now using their time wisely in preparation for Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra later this year.

So it’s safe to say that they are no strangers to large crowds, and when they are able to tour again, it will be with a lineup consisting of-

Lisa Perry – lead vocals, Mark McLeod – drums, Deanato Fistlord – guitar and Mick Jones on bass.

In addition to this Live lineup, Lisa has a somewhat invisible member who chooses to hide away in the studio, and without his talents, none of this would have been possible. Of course we speak of the aforementioned unsung hero that is Daryl Holden, Co-Writer and Studio Producer, for without his dedication, attention to detail and belief in Lisa and the gang, the dream, the vision and the goal would have remained a fantasy.

In a recent interview, I asked Lisa what first got her interested in becoming a solo artist, she told me;

“Well, to be honest, it was the constant let down of others not contributing. I love having a band and I have an awesome accompanying band on tour. I found while putting a band together, I couldn’t find the members that would want to work 24/7 towards the goal of making it big within the industry. I found a lot of negative attitudes and even jealousy. You name it, I’ve dealt with it. Band members that were aggressive with me, band members with drug addictions, even a band member that I instantly sacked that lied and said they could tour then I found out they were a convicted paedophile, It’s a wild, wild world out here in the music biz.

So with that said, I asked her what drives her as a performer, and collectively as a band, she went on to say;

“My driving force is to connect with audiences, I love to see and hear from people knowing that my music has helped them.

I absolutely love to create and write. As a band our mantra is to Never – Give – Up. If you are going through hell, keep going. If you can believe in yourself the hardest part of succeeding is behind you.

I followed this up by asking Lisa what the meaning was behind her stage name, she explained;

“Hellz is the spirit in the music that makes us connect with the song. She takes your hand and guides you back to the light away from the Hell and bad moments in life. Music is connected to our souls. It evokes feelings that sometimes you forgot you had. I have had bad times in my life, but something within me has never given up, so I keep going. Hellz is part of the strength that keeps me going and when I perform on stage, Hellz is the confidence that pushes me to the front and tells me to share a message to the world that we are all strong, and we will not be afraid for we are an army of survivors. If you are going through hell, Keep going. If something is pissing you off, put it in a box and burn it. Life is too short to worry about the rubbish that will only slow you down. Put on a brave face, get the hell out there and fight for yourself, because at the end of the day, it’s your life, it’s your journey, it’s no one else’s to judge, and after all, the Hellz Army is for the survivors.

So I went on to ask what she has learnt about herself on her journey so far in the music industry, she replied;

“You know, my journey through this battlefield and every moment, both good and bad has helped me find myself. It has taught me how strong I really can be. It taught me to say NO confidently. It taught me that I do matter and that every one of us matters. Our feelings, fears and joy are valid. I have learnt that mistakes are to be celebrated as lessons that make us who we are and every lesson we learn is part of who we become in life. I have also learnt that there are a lot of damn snakes on this path, best just wear tough boots and kick them aside as you cross paths with them. If anything, being a band throughout the last 2 years on earth has taught us to be resilient! Patience is key to survival throughout a worldwide pandemic. Being optimistic gets hard when you have cancelled 2 international tours.”

Always interested, I asked Lisa about her songwriting process and how she would overcome any creative blocks, she explained;

“I actually don’t have a process, It just happens. If someone sends a piece of music I put it on, put a condenser mic in the room and just sing. The melody, topic and feel usually just comes out of me and when I listen back to the recording. I can hear the vowel sounds and some lyrics that I have already randomly sung. Usually this is the start of a song. It kind of writes itself this way. I put this down to the whole emotional connection or a Spirit Writer. Almost like a strange form of meditation that always results in a great song. Daryl and I write the songs in studio. He is also a great producer, but prefers not to play Live yet still considered a big part of Hellz Abyss. The Live band also contribute and are responsible for the live versions of the songs, their input is also essential. Usually Daryl or I have an idea which then stems into a song. Usually he will send some basic guitar riffs and then I write and record the melody and lyrics. Then the song just evolves as we work together on the direction of the song. Although I am fortunate enough to not get writer’s block, there are times when it’s important to walk away. Fresh ears and minds are always the best and definitely needed when writing music. Sometimes Daryl and I sometimes write for days on end until one of us burns out. All you can do is walk away and do something else, maybe do the neglected housework or, have a shower. The next creative wave will come along, you just need to rest your ears.”

Being an extremely strong woman on stage, I asked Lisa if she has the same persona off stage also, she told me;

“Hellz and Lisa Perry once upon a time were two different people. Hellz was the ultimate ego, the person I always was too shy and too damaged to be. Over the last 2 years I feel I have evolved into that confident woman. I am now almost as mouthy off stage as I am on it. The rest of the boys in the band are born ragers. When we are out of the limelight, we are mostly found sharing disgusting memes, talking about great brownie recipes or swearing like sailors. My persona on stage aka Hellz is a feisty stomping take No Shit woman like no other, she stands in the faces of many and yells and Not One F*** Given. Although off stage I used to be a lot more timid, I was always this warrior deep inside. I have always been that friend with the bad ideas. I personally feel the Hellz persona has helped me overcome my timid side, she is my little girl spirit before the world damaged me, the person I forgot while I was battling to grow. When I feel a little down, she kicks me up the butt and makes me get back out there. I strongly believe that I was always Hellz, I just needed to let go of my anxiety and become her.”

Finally, Iasked Lisa what she enjoys the most about being a performer and if there was anything she wished she had known before starting her career in music, she went on to say;

“The level of self taught talent here is massive and each member of Hellz Abyss is amazing at what they do. We also get along very well. This is more than a band, it’s a sick n twisted family built upon inappropriate jokes, sarcasm and great music. But mainly its being able to stomp around on stage, screaming like a demented camel and getting away with it. I actually love doing this. I think everyone in Hellz Abyss was born to be a musician, regardless of what we wish we had known before, nothing could ever stop us from doing what we do. I wish I had known the Saturday night lotto numbers beforehand so I could afford all the amazing perks that you can buy to push your music further. I mean, these days you can be a monkey playing a drum and get a No1 if you pay for it”.

To buy the EP, click the artwork below

And that brings me nicely to the EP in question here, Potty Mouth.

Brazen, opinionated, sleazy and totally in your face, this ep is perfect if you want to get your point across, not only as an artist, but as a female who has been through so much in her life, and not wasting any time doing exactly that.

Potty Mouth simply bursts from the cellophane all guns blazing, saying it as it is, paying homage to a truly talented young lady, who has taken the bull by the horns and given them a shake, and is a credit to the talents she has acquired along the way and the incredible team she has behind her.

What stands out here is the attention to detail that both Lisa and Daryl have painstakingly put into this project together, with nothing less than perfect being the order of the day. Using a multitude of styles, the whole ep is packed full with a soundscape of colour both musically and visually, well delivered and perfectly pieced together to walk us through the storyboard, and the mind of a true visionary.

Although Lisa and the boys are down under, let’s hope they can come topside soon and spread the word of Hellz Abyss.

Star Rating – 10/10

Star Suggestion-

If ever there were two tracks to tempt the listener into buying this ep, they would be- “Trouble” and “Freedom Phobia”.