post metal

Back at the front line with full force: many years following “Ethic Of Radical Finitude” are in the ring Downfall Of Gaia back with a new record. And she rides on a mighty powder keg. Guitarist Peter Wolff, who left in 2015, is back, which had a direct impact on the songwriting process. The familiar mix of crust, d-beat and (post-)black metal comes across as a bit more compact and focused, without closing itself off to new ideas. „Silhouettes Of Disgust“ marks the return to top form.

The way “Existence Of Awe” immediately leads into the thicket of this album is fun. Angry post walls with dark undertones meet equally angry drums and no less drooling vocals. Dominik Goncalves dos Reis vomits with hoarse, emotional precision and dissects everything. The painful screams provide variety, drive cold sweat down your forehead, and at the same time introduce the subtle but skilful use of synthetics. This new musical aspect suits Downfall Of Gaia well, condenses the events and fires up the dramaturgy, which surprises once more in the meditative middle part with harsh, reduced catharsis.

A lot happens in just those five and a half minutes, and that’s just the beginning. The hesitant, slightly doomy roll of “Undeemable” heralds the explosive apocalypse and constantly increases, while “Bodies As Driftwood” develops a brutal and subtle epic from a similar reduction. Something like post rock resonates here and creates spectacular contrasts. If that’s too ‘good’, “The Whir Of Flies” uses poison and bile in a rapid descent. Here, too, the second half changes, taking on epic traits following another instrumental middle section – a facet that Downfall Of Gaia shows well.

Suddenly the quartet sounds as intense and concentrated as ever, accompanied by a few newer elements. Synthetics and occasional female vocals (Lulu Black, who maintains the duo This Is Oblivion together with drummer Michael Kadner, does her job damn well) meet a more compact and at the same time much more extravagant appearance. In this renewed contradiction, “Silhouettes Of Disgust” emerges as Downfall Of Gaia’s best effort since the thunderous “Suffocating In The Swarm Of Cranes”. This majestic, rough hussar ride surpasses itself and is already one of the heavy metal highlights of the still young year.

Rating: 9/10

Available from: 03/17/2023
Available through: Metal Blade (Sony Music)

Website: downfallofgaia.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DownfallofGaia

Slider-Pic (c) David Stöcklin

Tags: black metal, crustcore, downfall of gaia, featured, full-image, post black metal, post metal, review, silhouettes of disgust

Category: Magazin, Reviews

The resounding success of “A Distant (Dark) Source” and the live rendition that went with it was a wonderful, well-deserved cause for Hypno5e – a band that continued to grow over the course of their career, dared to do more musically and are now getting the laurels they deserve. The successor takes the source record one step further and, according to the band, can even run in a continuous loop. And yet dare „Sheol“ something more, even breaking new ground.

A completely new rhythm department was of course partly responsible for this change, and the French deliberately chose warmer and brighter textures, which increasingly venture into prog areas – classic and modern. And it works brilliantly: the two-part title song opens brilliantly. While the first section is used preliminarily, like an intro of sorts, “Sheol, Pt. II – Lands Of Haze” the mighty breakwater that brings old and new together. The mini-chaos with post-metallic to deadly undertones that Hypno5e is familiar with does not give way, but is packed into a fresh environment. Imposing thunder, complex neo-prog fanfares and extreme barrages alternate. Especially the very long, butter-soft middle part, from which a spiritual anti-fanfare emerges, brings a breath of fresh air into the action, and with tangible success.

Another two-parter awaits at the other end of the album. After another intro of its own, “Slow Streams Of Darkness, Pt. II – Solar Mist”, how Hypno5e have developed in recent years. Classically prog, surprisingly fragile idyll strives for complete reduction with subtle 70s vibes, always goes back to the newer school, and yet remains true to the harmony. Only towards the end does the sky darken for biting anger. The extremely long, changeable “The Dreamer And The Dream” brings the Djent guitars, which are prominently represented on this album, into the limelight, peels off several times and is immediately gentle. “Tauca, Pt. I – Another”, the prequel of a track from “A Distant (Dark) Source”, stays meek, at the same time brash, even throughout the entire playing time.

If you dare, you win double and triple in this case. In fact, Hypno5e strives to be more accessible without compromising. Yes, “Sheol” takes some of the heaviness away without appearing even remotely cautious. The warm, catchy Prog textures suit the sound of the French wonderfully, only to unpack the steam hammer at the right moment. At the same time, the songwriting continues to develop, is even more clever, even more delicate. For Hypno5e, it’s the second massive effort in a row that puts them at the forefront of the sophisticated, complex-avant-garde metal scene.

Rating: 9/10

Available from: 02/24/2023
Available through: Pelagic Records (Cargo Records)

Website: www.hypno5e.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hypno5e

Slider-Pic (c) Hypno5e

Tags: djent, extreme metal, featured, full-image, hypno5e, post metal, progressive metal, review, sheol

Category: Magazin, Reviews