The well-known French hard rock ensemble known as TRUST released this live offering of theirs late last year via earMUSIC and the result is a satisfying one. With a raw and organic sound to it, the dynamic "Live Hellfest 2017" nicely encapsulates what TRUST are all about and contains a lot of the band’s classic material that is rapturously received by the crowd at the aforementioned festival. Based around catchy riffs and memorable melodies, this stuff instantly grabs you and sucks you in.

 

The members of the outfit all sound fired up, which is hardly surprising given that 60000 maniacs turned up to witness these guys in action at last year’s Hellfest ceremony. Bernie Bonvoisin’s somewhat gritty voice is anything but pretty, but it has a certain passion and intensity to it that is quite charming and it does sound as if he well and truly believes in what he is belting out up there on the stage, which is obviously a good thing. For some weird reason, TRUST have always reminded me of UFO around the excellent "Obsession" album (1978), but maybe that is just me.

 

Either way, TRUST have retained that late 70s/early 80s hard rock/metal vibe of theirs and it is commendable that their tunes still resonate with people four decades down the road as evidenced by this release. The highlight of the entire thing is the inclusion of the atmospheric "Surveille Ton Look", which is downright mesmerizing here. "L Elite" also stands out and comes across as sharp and wicked.

"Live Hellfest 2017" is a most fitting celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary and the anthemic show closer "Antisocial" (yeah, the one that was covered by Anthrax back in the day) works like a charm and is a great finale to a solid and entertaining live album. "Made in Japan" or "Strangers in the Night" this is not, but it is an enjoyable affair nonetheless and it proves that there is still some mileage left in the TRUST tank.

 

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