Hexer’s evolution has been fascinating to unpack over the course of their nine-year career. The Dortmund, Germany based doom/sludge band started off playing slow, methodical material on 2017’s Cosmic Doom Ritual with bursts of psychedelic atmosphere and more violent outbursts. By 2020’s Realm of the Feathered Serpent things had shifted significantly, as the writing was more varied in tempo and dynamics and encompassed everything from black, death, doom, and sludge while still having a prominent psychedelic influence. Now pared down to a duo, Hexer’s third full length Abyssalrepresents another significant leap in this evolution with guitar tones that give off both a psychedelic and traditional Middle Eastern music vibe alongside faster tempos. It’s a stunning showing that has engaging songwriting from beginning to end and showcases that this group continues to find unique elements that help them stand out.
Hexer hasn’t fully left behind the spaced-out doom and periods of calm, reflective instrumentation that their previous two albums were often built upon, but the focus here is generally on faster tempos and rhythms that have a hypnotic and chaotic feel. Opener “Katarakt” gives you a good idea of the wild ride you’re in for, as the song explodes with faster riffing and frantic drums that feel somewhere between the atmosphere driven black/death metal of recent years and the driving sludge of Black Cobra. These ideas continue to shift and change across each song, with some emphasizing more violent and harsher riffing while others let the abrasiveness fall away in favor of more hypnotic melodies and a mysterious yet chill atmosphere. Everything is wrapped in tonality and tuning that has me thinking of traditional Persian or Turkish music, and the consistent use of this sound gives Hexer a very different sound from many of their peers. At times it comes through like Yob crossed with Bølzer, all wrapped in a Middle Eastern flair, yet Abyssal still doesn’t quite sound exactly like any of the aforementioned bands. This unique sound is likely to draw listeners in, but it’s the strength of the writing that will keep them coming back. Whether it’s the sludgy, low tuning of “Bathyskaph” that feels like it’s going to drown you in its murkiness or the sweeping build-up of shimmering melodies and explosive riffing of “A Torch In The Sky”, the material has plenty of immediacy alongside depth that becomes apparent over repeat listens.
Alongside the faster tempos, the vocals seem to have gotten even harsher and in your face than before. This is where some of the Bølzer comparisons come into play, as the low growls reverberate over the recording in a similar manner, but that’s only one of the pitches that Hexer utilizes throughout Abyssal. The abrasiveness provides a nice contrast to the psychedelic and melodic flourishes the material has, ensuring that there’s a sense of darkness and chaos even when the band is starting to lull you into a trance. Right from the start it’s clear how much variety the vocals have to offer, as “Katarakt” starts off with low growls and screams, transitions into spoken word for a short period, and then finishes off with some particularly harsh growls. The information I was provided doesn’t mention guests, but it’s known that Paula from Beculted appears on “Abysmal Rites” and a few other passages on Abyssalbased on the recent single release, and I thought I might’ve heard Imha Tarikat’s Kerem Yilmaz in there at some point too, which adds additional variety to the performance.
Abyssal pulls in a bit more from black and death metal without losing the core essence that made Hexer’s previous material leave an impression, and the songwriting emphasizes the atmosphere and riffs in ways that remain engaging throughout. It’s a bit more fluid in how it builds that atmosphere and tension compared to some of the more rigid and methodical build-ups from before, but this makes the album more memorable and provides some spontaneous bursts of all-out aggression. With an entrancing atmosphere and instrumental tonality that feels different, Hexer has really pushed forward and realized their own sound. There is still room to take it even further, but for me this is one of the first true album of the year candidates and a release worth paying attention to. Abyssal is available from Crawling Chaos.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg