HELSTAR Bitter End
"A Distant Thunder" album (1988)

James Rivera Vocals
Larry Barragan Guitars
Andre Corbin Guitars
Jerry Abarca Bass, Keyboards
Frank Ferreira Drums

Lyrics:
Bitter End

It's been fifty years behind us
But the war is still raging on
There's a killer deep inside us
Who yearns to see the dawn
All our comrades who have perished
They have met their destiny
Now the bullets that we cherish
Right now is all we need

We must fight for our right
We must find what you call sanctuary
It is kill or be killed
Only death from above sets us free

In the field of honor
In a zone that has no time
Where blood is thick as water
To murder is not a crime
One goal that we're headed for
To claim our victory
Attacks upon the land and shore
Men die endlessly

The poison we have tasted
Has blinded our minds
The cities devastated
It is he or I defined
This boy is never coming back
The gun is my best friend
Trained to kill one in his tracks
On the road to the bitter end

Helstar is a heavy metal band from Houston, Texas, formed in 1982. Their musical style is considered technical speed power metal.

Helstar began with a more basic metal style in 1983 with 2 demos followed with their first studio album in 1984 titled Burning Star for Combat Records, making them label mates with Megadeth and Exodus. Struggles within the band and management issues broke apart the lineup of that time.

After a year or so they reformed and released the Remnants of War album, also on Combat, produced by Randy Burns. In 1987 they moved to Los Angeles with another line up change guitarist Rob Trevino departed (conditions unknown) and it is believed that the song "Abandon Ship", written by André Corbin and J. Rivera from the 1988 A Distant Thunder album, was dedicated to his departure. Along with guitarist Andre' Corbin, Frank Ferreira was an addition to drums. They signed with Metal Blade Records and recorded the A Distant Thunder album produced by Bill Metoyer.

After the departure of Andre' Corbin and Frank Ferreira, Helstar regrouped again and recorded a demo but gained no interest from the labels. Shortly after, Larry Barragan left the band to pursue other interests.

In 1989 the band released Nosferatu, which many fans consider their greatest achievement. It was based on the early Dracula film and contained spoken sound bites from the movie. Between 1990 and 1993 Helstar released a few demos that failed to receive great recognition. In 1995 Helstar released a new studio album entitled Multiples of Black however, it did not achieve the quality previously found in their earlier albums and fans consider this album their worst release to date.

The members of Helstar namely James Rivera cooperated in other bands between 1993 and 2002, Seven Witches for a short time in 1993, Distant Thunder in 1995 and Destiny's End. This was a super group put together by James Riviera, that released the two studio albums Breathe Deep the Dark in 1998 and Transition in 2002.

Helstar went through several reunions starting in 2001. These reunions were primarily organized by James Rivera and longtime bassist Jerry Abarca. Several live albums came out of this period, but the band was unable to produce any new material. In 2006, for the first time in over fifteen years, James Rivera and Larry Barragan reunited and Helstar were officially declared musically active again. Along with Jerry, James and Larry also reunited with Remnants of War album guitarist Robert Trevino and Eternity Black drummer Russell De'leon. This lineup has since released Sins of the Past, "a greatest hits collection" of rerecorded songs. A new album has been released with the Remnants of War lineup in 2008 titled The King of Hell.

Current Lineup:
James Rivera Vocals (1983present)
Larry Barragan Guitars (19811995; 2006present)
Rob Trevino Guitars (19851987; 2006present)
Jerry Abarca Bass (1985present)
Mikey Lewis Drums (20042006; 2010present)

Former Members:
Guitars:
Tom Rogers (19831985)
André Corbin (19871990)
Drums:
Hector Pavon (19831985)
Rene Luna (19851987)
Frank Ferreira (19871990)
Russel DeLeon (19902004; 20062010)
Bass:
Paul Medina (19831985)

Discography:
Burning Star (Combat Records 1984)
Remnants of War (Combat Records 1986)
A Distant Thunder (Metal Blade Records 1988)
Nosferatu (Metal Blade Records 1989)
Multiples of Black (Massacre 1995)
Twas The Night of a Helish Xmas (Metal Blade Records 2000) (Live album)
The James Rivera Legacy (Iron Glory 2001) (Compilation)
Sins of the Past (AFM Records 2007) (Compilation)
The King of Hell (AFM Records 2008)
Rising from the Grave (AFM Records 2010) (Boxed set)
Glory Of Chaos (AFM Records 2010)

LONG LIVE TEXAS METAL!!!