Huronian – Beyond Frozen Heights EP
Huronian – Beyond Frozen Heights EP
Gruesome Records
Release Date: 15/09/23
Running Time: 14:09
Review by Oli Gonzalez
6/10
“Lovecraftian metal!? This I have to try!” These were my initial thoughts on hearing about Huronian, and their latest release “Beyond Frozen Heights”. After all, the enigmatic HP Lovecraft has been a source of inspiration for the songs and lyrics of many extreme metal bands, including but not limited to Septic Flesh and Nile. How will these influences shape the sound and lyrics of Huronian?
The EP opens with a rather interesting instrumental track, ‘The Guild’. It is somewhere between theme music for Skyrim or Lord Of The Rings given its epic fantasy feel, and is highly enjoyable! This is cool. It sets the tone and anticipation high for the rest of the album.
The next song ‘Torturer’s Creed’ plays to the band’s death metal roots, with a clear black metal spine. There’s a lot of great individual parts here. Especially the lead guitar work which is sublime! Some of these lead riffs feature throughout the album and are absolutely phenomenal; clearly a strength of the band. As for the rest of the album, unfortunately I can’t be so enthusiastic about it.
The lead vocals are good, from a tonality point of view. I’m getting a hint of Obituary, that higher kind of scream, sounding like a man possessed and dripping with pure primitive rage yet still retaining control. However, for a band basing its lyrics around one of the most iconic writers of all time, I don’t think I picked up a single word or lyric from the album. How can someone connect with these themes if they can’t understand the lyrics? I’m unsure if this is a technique or production issue (or both?) but it should certainly be addressed. Production wise, it sounds a bit rushed and too raw at times. There are some fantastic individual sections on the album but it feels like a mad scientist approach at times, with neither coherent nor salient song structures.
Overall, a brave debut, but certainly a lot to work on for the next release.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Guild
02. Torturer’s Creed
03. Over Frozen Heights Part 1
04. Over Frozen Heights Part 2
05. Blazing Bolt Of Hatred
LINE-UP:
MM – Drums
UMP – Guitars/Keys
DL – Vocals
AK – Bass
LINKS:
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