The Pitch: The second offering from Melbourne progressive death metal band Hadal Maw, through EVP Recordings. I see plenty of strengths to build on. FFO Gorod, Intensive Square, Trilateral, Barus
What I Like: This band shows a lot of promise for me. They have an ear for interesting sounds and the muscle memory to translate them into technically proficient and cognitively rewarding compositions. The door-kicking opener "Affluenza" and some of the later tracks in particular strike an excellent balance between dopamine-releasing groove and artistic experimentation. It's a Meshuggah mentality, but only in foundation. These songs like to drift down some darker, less machine-like corridors. Every musician in this band has the talent to push it forwards, which should be apprent listening to the drums and guitar in particular.
What I Don't Like: The drummer has commented that a lot of this material was written in a disjointed, disorganized manner; which I agree can be good to eliminate stale preconceptions about what the end product should be. Howevery, I also hear how this approach has impacted the clarity of writing and consistency of the album in general.
The Verdict: A band with tons of potential for the future, and an album that fans of proto-djent groove and general musicanship should greatly enjoy. Stream it below now.
Flight's Fav's: False King, The Olm, Affluenza
