Bulgarian rocket-fuelled helicopters and jumbishmetal pioneers, Hellbound blasted off the stage and the dancefloor in Encore at our first event TMLR Underground Live I: Chapel of Rust on the 20th of March 2026.
Dynamic. Complex. Full of Flavors and lots of fun. Jumbishmetal, for short, or… “movement metal”. Literally. I dug up the meaning of the term and found it’s the Persian equivalent of motion. Later, the band members even told me that jumbish also means something related to movement for bulgarians themselves (or at least in Burgas)!
“We came up with usage of it, ’cause it is a kinda popular slang here in Burgas. It means trick; movement; fighting. Something like that. So it is in the context of the band)”
To be fair, Hellbound had a fair amount of fun tricks up their sleeves that included rope skipping, caveman-style tyre pounding and another little moment that we’ll talk about later.
Composition and style
Hellbound‘s music sounds like multiple genres in one but it’s neither. They’re not core, thrash or heavy metal despite being heavily influenced by each and every one of them. Despite not being either of these genres, their music masterfully blends them all into what you’ve heard on the night of the first concert we organized under the name Chapel of Rust.
Honestly, a personal hot take is that we have reached a point in time when genres have lost meaning and I might have already said that, but… At this point genres no longer make (that much) sense. I mean what is even “thrash” or “deathcore” nowadays? Now, Hellbound‘s music embodies exactly that.
I mean yes, genres certainly have some vibes attached to them and some certain characteristic sound. Moreover, genres also have some core cultural ideas and lyrical themes, but there’s also a whole lot of nonsense and debate around all that. Now Hellbound have nailed that down perfectly, since their music is not a genre, it’s a feeling… it’s a vibe and it makes you move.
Hellbound’s sound – Mostly clean, yet aggressive
Their compositions mostly feature clean vocals, yet undeniable aggression and energy. Hellbound’s songs are very much digestible to a larger audience than solely metalheads. Their music invites you to rise dance, move and rise up.
From the intro of Kinesis to the classic death metal sound of the intro from Burning in the Flame, Hellbound really has everything. That is, dynamic and syncopated rhythms from the first song and the impending doom conveyed by the of the suspenseful guitars from the other piece, which reminded me a bit of my old days listening to Soulfly.
The tribal stuff from their song Стълба към небето reminded me of Sepultuta – Ratamahatta. I also really enjoyed the fun wordplay, hip-hop scratches and lots of heavy, yet danceable guitar riffs featuring note slides on Ligamentum. What I liked on One of a Kind is that it featured intense guitar solos, along with short bursts of machine gun drums. Another noteworthy mention on the same song are the simple yet resolute breakdowns nearing its end.
Live Atmosphere from Hellbound at Chapel of Rust
The atmosphere from our first event was exactly as Hellbound intended: having their jumbish goal in mind, the band achieved exactly what they planned – Chaos! In a good way.
The audience danced and even worked out with them. We didn’t see your usual mosh pit but rather jumbish dance moves, Mortal Kombat style movements on one of the heaviest songs on their set, Fight Now which and hell… even push ups or sit-ups not only from the band members but from the attendees themselves! Their versatility is further underlined by the balkanic tunes they played with the surprise Zarzavat cover that preceded their song Silent Regrets.
Charisma, engagement and good moves
There was another surprise moment, this time during Hellbound‘s Burning in the Flame where Váthos frontman, Radu Alecu, came to the stage and sang a few lyrics. At some other point, frontman Dimitar invited us to the band’s favorite game and even split the room in half – not for a wall of death, but for an honest choir on Feeling the Heat, where he was the conductor. Apart from the heavy metal vibes that brought back the reinvented Judast Priest nostalgia, they accomplished a lot more with Feeling the Heat. Despite the apparent divide, the voices of the crowd were united and we were super engaged.
Ligamentum was the highlight of the night and even though it was yet another invitation to dance, it was also way more than its studio version. The entire stage play far exceeded all expectations and the footage from their show keeps what happened alive.
Hellbound displayed outstanding showmanship and musicianship because the songs’ order from the setlist was actually super dynamic, as the band adapted to people’s vibes but also changed everything they touched.
Hellbound lyrics to best describe the overall atmosphere from Chapel of Rust, from the song Kinesis:
Can′t stop moving around
This is the feelin’ I want
The energy′s of the ground
Can’t waste another minute
Can’t stop moving around
Kinesis is my nature
(e.n. The intro seems to set the nature and standpoint of the emitter, making it a factor of transformation. It also equates movement with transformation straight from the beginning.)
What?
It′s the free electron
Who can′t obey the order
Changing everything that’s around
Everybody move your body
Life is only starting today
So better don′t be late
Go in front and show what you got
Or don’t flake
(e.n. Besides the clear invitation to move along with the emitter, life starting today is very likely a metaphor that invites listeners to live in the present and empowers them to take part to the change.)
Can′t stop moving around
Energy from the ground
Can’t stop moving around
Energy from the ground
You know what we are doing
We are destroying the block
(e.n. The block can be any type of barrier to be destroyed, further suggesting the empowerment of listeners.)
Can′t stop moving around
Pedal to the metal
Can’t stop moving around
Bam bam bam bam bam bam
Can’t stop moving around
Come and join the party
Can′t stop moving around
(e.n. The final parts suggest that once a movement got its fair amount of traction, it will become impossible to stop, so rather than opposing it, joining and being part of the change would make more sense, thus the invitation.)
You know what we are gonna do
Nothing will be left for you
We are above the law
Get ready to beat them all
The conclusion is as relatable as it appears to be vague but it can definitely hint that transformation and movement are more important than any arbitrary system. For now, we’ve witnessed Hellbound start movements in rooms full of people. But how would things look like if Jumbishmetal actually became a movement itself?
Keep moving with Hellbound on:
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Photos by: Cristina Mihalache (@aalternative.visuals)
