Hideous Divinity – LV-426 EP (Century Media Records) [Dr Claire Hanley]
Hideous Divinity are known for bringing their unique take on technical brutality to the mix. LV-426 builds on this theme by offering up death metal with a touch of the extra-terrestrial - inspired by the Alien franchise - and to quote the original film, in reference to this EP: “son-of-a-bitch is huge!”.
Acheron, Stream Of Woe sets the tone for the EP, with an ominous atmosphere-building introduction that would put the most stoic of characters on edge. The gears begin to churn. You’re poised to strike but you have no idea what awaits you. Then the beast is unleashed. The opening riffs rip you from your comfort zone, and the onslaught of double-kicks signal that there is no going back. The prominence of the bass further darkens the mood as you’re forced forward, through a spectrum of ferocious vocals. An incredible journey from start to finish: the organ at the beginning that makes the track feel almost biblical in stature, the accents and phrasing on the guitars, and the use of delays and pauses to build anticipation are simply breathtaking.
The composition of this track is as out of this world as the subject matter, and an absolute credit to the band as artists. Time to crank up the energy, if that were even possible, as Chestburst spews out of the speakers: a bludgeoning track that takes no prisoners. Given a film classification, it’d have to warn of severe peril and sky-high heart rates. The frantic guitars and dynamic drum patterns serve to build an aura of chaos amidst the musical precision. If the spirit of the opening track was nervously awaiting your fate; now you know what was waiting for you, you’d better run!
The grand finale, Delirium Trigger, is theatrical to say the least – beginning with almost anthemic guitars and breaking down into a more sludge-ridden, progressive sound (even reminiscent of bands such as Dark Tranquillity in places). By no means aversive but quite unexpected, as it definitely stands out and perhaps isn’t a natural choice for such a focused showcase as an EP. Nonetheless, the utmost of respect for pushing the boundaries. As for the preceding tracks, the emphasis is on the experience; with jarring moments of discordant piano against a backdrop of blast beats, and the abrupt ending creating the illusion that you’ve just been devoured.
A few final words, firstly on production, which is absolutely flawless. Each element is perfectly balanced and positioned to command attention, and it is always a pleasure to hear a dominant bassline take the spotlight rather than be lost in the abyss. The desire to challenge the very conception of death metal and the passion for the project are also evident; a rarity in a domain that is too often formulaic. A dynamic and powerful release, by a group of musicians who clearly pour their guts into their material. 9/10
Void Vator - Great Fear Rising (Ripple Music) [Richard Oliver]
Great Fear Rising is the debut full length album from LA heavy metallers Void Vator. The band formed in 2015 and have a couple of EP’s under their belts - 2017’s Dehumanized and 2019’s Stranded. Great Fear Rising is an album born out of frustration having to contend with both their drummer Moura having to return to Germany due to visa issues and then a tour having to be cancelled a mere five shows in due to the pandemic putting an end to live music. The band poured their frustrations into the recording of this album and there is definitely a spark and a fire to this album. The music on Great Fear Rising can be described as an amalgamation of influences from hard rock and heavy metal music from the decades prior from 70’s hard rock, 80’s heavy metal, 80’s sunset strip glam, old school thrash metal and 90’s groove metal.
It also has a contemporary sheen sounding both fresh and new and old school and classic at the same time. It is only a short album being a mere 32:30 in length but the band pack in enough hooks, catchiness and fist pumping anthems that not a single second is wasted. The songs themselves are short and sweet and also fairly varied from the anthemic heavy metal of I Can’t Take It, the speed metal of the title track, the raucous rock & roll of McGyver’s Mullet and the dirty groove of Poltergeist. Void Vator have a bright and flashy debut album with Great Fear Rising. It is just over half an hour of upbeat, party-friendly hard rock and heavy metal anthems. The band already have a reputation as a take no prisoners live act and they now have an extra nine killer songs to add to their arsenal when they can hit the stage again in the months to come. 8/10
Hail The Sun – New Age Filth (Rude/Equal Vision) [Alex Swift]
With their sharp sense of memorability fused with some serenely darker sensations which give them a unique bite in alternative-prog, Hail The Sun take a genre that’s triumphed by the likes of Circa Survive, Dance Gavin Dance and – my personal favourite - Coheed And Cambria, and shape the style into something that’s unique to them. I know that doesn’t sound like to much to expect but much as I love many bands in this genre, many of the ones that have emerged more lately sound a lot like each other. This band achieve their uniqueness precisely by bringing the soaring melodic cohesion and sonic exploration to the forefront, while being reserved enough to value subtlety and tension. The complex moments feel measured and multifaceted, like they are there to serve a purpose in elevating the anthems to enthralling heights.
Standing as the acts fifth album, New Age Filth still shows a sense of vibrancy and uniqueness. It’s’ the type of record that will make you wish they were discussed as much as the previously mentioned acts, as opposed to being fairly unknown outside of a cluster of hardcore fans. Garcia and Gann’s guitar textures guide the songs in intriguing directions, while the bass tones are stark and noticeable. Meanwhile, Meleros' vocal register has the soaring highs we’ve come to expect in this genre, but also the conviction and emotion to carry the impassioned quality of pop-inspired moments like Made Your Mark and the commanding presence of seething moments like Parasitic Cleanse and Hysteriantics. This quickfire chopping and changing between styles, light to soft, brutal to buoyant aids Hail The Sun in their mission to be progressive and experimental, but also accessible and striking. On top of having a huge amount of technical impressiveness, New Age Filth actually has the song crafting abilities to make for an enthralling listening experience – and element that’s aided by a detailed and careful production that allows the intricacies to shine through.
Although, taken to their most bare essentials, Hail The Sun really aren’t all that different from the peers in the genre, much of the lyric-writing is far more contemplative and introspective than you might expect, dealing in issues of self-loathing and anxiety. Again, not exactly a new concept in alternative music, but one that’s here executed with a degree of honesty and earnestness that makes what’s being sung about strike with a deep and emotional resonance. Further bringing out the emotion of these songs are the visceral and intense performance. Despite the sound itself not being one you haven’t heard done well before, there’s just something about Hail The Sun that works to move and stimulate the listener. Even if this style is not for you, I would recommend Hail the Sun for their grip of contrast, their insightful lyrical palate and their ability to use their talent to captivate. 8/10
Gods Of Space - Against The Falling Sky (Self Released) [Paul Scoble]
Gods Of Space have been making huge noises at a nicely relaxed tempo in Wilkes - Barre in Pennsylvania since 2012. The trio have released 2 Ep’s in that time in 2017’s Gods Of Space EP, and 2020’s Acoustic Sessions. The Band, which is made up of Matt Hannan on Bass, Tyler Lepkowski on Drums and Jacob Wavmonsky on Guitar and Vocals, have also released one album called Till Human Voices Wake Us, which was released in 2018. Gods Of Space play a fairly cosmic style of huge Stoner Rock/Metal, which on this Ep is telling a story about a crew of navigators that take a space ship into earth orbit, where the ship begins to fail leading the crew to attempt to escape the ship.
The EP opens with the track Against All Odds which has a fantastic central riff that is done in huge and heavy as well as minimal and reserved styles. The vocals are very good, Jacob has a clear and fairly high register voice that is maybe a little bit reminiscent of Geddy Lee. The songs tempo is perfect for relaxed head-banging, and the song also boasts a very good guitar solo. Next track Exit Point is darker than the opener and also feels brooding. The track has an aggressive chorus and a taut, minimal section in the second half.
Falling Sky is a great track, it’s uptempo, driving rock that is tuneful and melodic, whilst also being driving and purposeful. Again there is that perfect head nodding tempo and a fantastic guitar solo. Next up is Sub Orbital which is driving and very rhythmic stoner doom, that feels brooding. The song has a very impressive chorus and features some sections that feel inspired by Progressive Rock.
The EP comes to an end with Surf, a track that is all about dynamics. The track opens in a minimal and brooding way, it builds slowly, there is a hypnotic feel to this song. The track builds to huge proportions, and we get an extended solo/instrumental passage that is so good; tuneful and dripping with melody. The track slowly drifts off into space after this part giving the song, and the EP a satisfying ending.
Against A Falling Sky is a fantastic EP. Five tracks of exemplary Stoner Doom/Rock that will fill your head with great tunes. The tempos and pacing are practically perfect, it is so easy to get into, within seconds your head will be nodding in time. Most of all this works due to really great songwriting, rather than due to any single factor; great songs performed really well by talented musicians. Great EP, highly recommended. 9/10