Hedra – The Pecking Order
Hedra – The Pecking Order
Devils Clause Records
Release Date: 11/11/22
Running Time: 29:38
Review by Simon Black
8/10
The big problem I have with a lot of Progressive Metal music is that the Progressive elements more often than not dominate over the Metal ones. It’s a fine line to draw to be fair, so razor thin are the boundaries between the different sub-genres that you can quickly cross the line into something else just be tuning the balance between the elements even just a little. Prog Metal bands often have another challenge as well, and that’s one caused by spending too long in the studio polishing the material and not enough out in the field working out which aspects work best with an audience. Well, the signs are promising here, as despite starting off as a studio project and only releasing a few singles so far, Hedra have put the road miles in of late and are starting to take off. Well, I hope they are…
The first thing to strike the listener is that this is absolutely a very Metal act. Hard, heavy, down and dirty, this is Prog Metal from the Mastodon school of excellence, although I can tell there’s some serious Tool worship going on the mix too. Wisely they keep the songs accessible, catchy and Metal for the brutal pounding opener ‘Jackdaw’, which delivered such a deep and bassy rumble that I needed to adjust the EQ before my kidneys vibrated themselves into renal catatonia. Add to this some pounding layered instrumental and drum parts, haunting vocal lines and Progressive cleverness that takes a few listens to spot and then appreciate, this is a band heading in a very positive direction. When the Prog elements are the extra icing on the cake on top of a well-crafted and catchy song, you know they’ve got that elusive balance right.
‘Stolen’ adds some more atmospheric layering with its catchy power arpeggios and weaving guitar parts, proving that sometimes being Progressive can be delivered highly effectively without the need for a keyboard player, and that gentlebeings is how you keep your Prog most definitely very fucking Metal. ‘Suchi’ if anything is even heavier, with a nice Grungey feel to it that evoked Alice In Chains fabulous “Dirt” opus, but it’s also the point where the pace slows down and lets the Prog elements step forward a little, but not at the expense of the overall catchiness, because that chorus melody line is one hell of an ear worm, and despite being the longest song on here, doesn’t outstay its welcome.
This vein continues throughout the mini-EP, but with the more technical Prog songs coming later as the listener has been hooked in, which is a nice strategy and one that with sadly only six tracks to listen to definitely leaves one wanting more. That said, the three heavier songs at the front definitely hit the back of the net and bode well for the future.
‘Stormclouds’ Official Animated Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Jackdaw
02. Stolen
03. Suchi
04. Avismogi
05. Storm Clouds
06. Head Held High (demo)
LINE-UP:
Jim Marten – Vocals
Kamil Korsak – Guitar
Zoran Gyenis – Guitar
Lukas “Kozi” Mozdzenski – Bass
James Redden – Drums
LINKS:
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