Hostilia | Face The Fire | Hammerheart Records

Release Date: 24 October 2025

Format: CD/LP/Digital

Genre: Thrash Metal

Country: Sweden

Hostilia sprang out of Gothenburg in 2021, started by the Lindeblad brothers, William on lead guitar and Albert on drums, two teenagers moving with the confidence of veterans. Their first demo turned heads in the underground and, after some reshuffling, the band solidified with bassist Gabriel Sepúlveda, guitarist Petter Hernroth and vocalist Tim Angelini. From day one they pushed themselves on stage, treating tiny rooms as battlegrounds, blasting through sets with the stubborn fire only very young musicians have.

That stubbornness paid off. Their name spread around Gothenburg, they were invited to perform at Restaurant 2112 in front of members of In Flames and The Halo Effect, and producer Jakob Herrmann ended up offering them studio time simply because their intensity stuck with him. The band’s live session EP from 2024 showed a band ready to sprint forward. More eyes followed when William performed with Gene Simmons in front of thousands, and when Hostilia joined Bombus on tour they proved they could win over crowds who had never heard their name before. Suddenly they were being offered shows with Dismember and a tour with The Haunted. Swedish media picked them up, exhibitions featured them, and the so called next wave of Swedish metal suddenly had a youthful, loud representative.

“Face The Fire” arrives at exactly the moment Hostilia’s story starts gaining speed, and the album mirrors that sense of acceleration. There is zero hesitation in how they play. The band leans into classic thrash roots, steering everything through tight riffing, breakneck pace and Tim Angelini’s raw vocal bite, which gives the songs a very direct punch.

The title track “Face The Fire” sets the album’s attitude quickly, with riffs moving like they’ve been carved from the Bay Area tradition, only filtered through the Swedish school. “Bone Collector” and “Power Out” carry that same sharp-edge aggression. The material stays energetic from start to finish. It gives the impression of a band that refuses to slow down or decorate their songs with anything unnecessary.

Hostilia’s biggest strength comes from how locked in they are with each other. The rhythm section moves like one organism, William’s lead guitar adds a wild streak, and Petter’s production work keeps everything raw with enough bite to match their live energy. The guest appearance from Anders Björler on “The Storm” is a fun nod from a veteran to a young band charging into the future, and the album benefits from that moment of outside personality.

There are moments where their youth shows, mostly in how directly they push every song forward. Subtle shifts are rare, and the aggression runs at full blast for long stretches. Sometimes that gives the impression of a band sprinting when pacing could have added more impact. Still, the fire in their playing outweighs the rough edges because there is no hesitation or second guessing in what they want to do.

“Face The Fire” paints Hostilia as a young thrash band stepping into bigger rooms without flinching. Their hunger is loud, their riffs hit hard, and their future looks wide open. This album doesn’t feel like a finishing point, more like the moment they plant their flag and say, we’re here now, deal with it. Thrash fans who bleed with Testament, Exodus and Slayer will connect easily with what Hostilia is throwing at them.

Score: 7.5

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