By: Aaron Pickford
Album Type:
Full Length
Date Released:
03/09/2012
Label:
Head Of Crom/
Burning
World
Forget the fact there are only twin guitars here, because who needs
bass, when you have two instruments amplified to the hilt with the ability
of planetary destruction. The aftershocks of the fuzz reverberate
due to the monolithic Moby Dick sized riffs on offer.
‘A Hocht’
CD//DD//LP track listing
1)
Inner Space (3:05)
2)
Flame On (3:48)
3)
Beyond Acid Canyon (5:53)
4)
Return to Kraken (4:46)
5)
Tramontane (7:03)
6)
Blackwood (3:13)
7)
Theme From Remora (4:37)
8)
Outer Space 3:12
Slomatic is:
David
Majury | Guitar
Chris
Couzens | Guitar
Marty
Harvey | Drums, vocals
The Review
Starting
with a distant rumble, Slomatics create atmosphere and tension from
the outset with ‘Inner Space’, a soundtrack to
mankind's imminent assimilation. The music wouldn't feel out of place
in a John Carpenter movie, say The Thing, where
the primary antagonist, a parasitic life form assimilates its victims
which then in turn, imitates their appearance. The opening track leaves the
listener feeling uncomfortable and produces a sensation of overwhelming
foreboding, perhaps because, like The Thing, this
record is an atmospheric, tense and moody affair.
Certainly ‘Inner
Space’ represents the Prologue to A Hocht's sonic Matamp barbarism, which bursts
through the speakers with wondrous and cacophonic destruction with ‘Flame
On’. The fuzzed up megaphonic nature of the riffs feels like a
earthbound asteroid intent on destroying or smashing the earth into
dust. A Hocht is
just apocalyptic, hell it is Slomatics version of War of the
Worlds. Forget Jeff Wayne, Slomatics have created their own version
of WOTW with colossal riffs pounding at the earth like the legs of the
tripods, intent on annihilating mankind or assimilating us into one alien
race which feed on the need to play heavy metal music really fucking
loud.
Now,
Slomatics
began their annihilation with the punitive sonic booms on the track ‘Flame
On’, now we move onto ‘Beyond Acid Canyon’.
The seismic abuse continues and bass levels set to 12 on this
track. For whom the bell tolls, we do not know, however
it most likely signifies that the bowels of hell are ready,
because music of this nature cannot be of this earth and must be otherworldly.
Forget the fact there are only twin guitars here, because who needs bass, when
you have two instruments amplified to the hilt with the ability of
planetary destruction. The aftershocks of the fuzz reverberate due
to the monolithic Moby Dick sized riffs on offer. Coming across like
a lumbering southbound pachyderm in terms of pacing, we are headed ‘Beyond
Acid Canyon’ and the scale of this music is epic, grand and
maleficent. This is music done the old
fashioned way, big amps, big ass fat vulturous riffs, atomic ass pounding
drums and let us not forget the vocals. Marty truly spews his
guts up, trying to warn us what is coming, but
almost struggles to be heard over the deafening malevolent
force this beast of a band have created. Now that we have
lurched and bounded across the vast soundscape that is ‘Beyond
Acid Canyon’, that was at a cost,
because the the tremors of riff abuse have summoned the
Kraken, and it is time for its return.
‘Return
to Kraken’ introduces itself with wails
of processed effect laiden riffs, until it bursts into life, intend on wreaking
havoc to everything or everyone in its path. Indeed ‘Return
to Kraken’ is arguably the heaviest and mightiest track on the
record, Slomatics
are the orchestrators who have used their thunderous riff ability
to rouse the Kraken from its uninvaded sleep for the intention of warning
off cheap imitators. With ‘Return to Kraken’, Slomatics
are at their furious best, using their colossal arsenal of Matamp abuse to
pulverise and crush. Indeed just like the Kraken, Slomatics
would destroy the ships of seafarers who dare disturb it or venture
into uncharted waters where it dwells.
Following
the earth shattering din that proceeded, we are now no stranger to fuzz and ‘Tramotane’
continues the onslaught. So we have been blown up, assimilated
into alien life forms or smashed and drown by the Kraken, what is left that the
band can do. Well, I feel that we are back in the terrority of b - movie
horror, what with the tense effects and brooding drone of the repetitive riffs,
kinda mimicking the heartbeat of someone truly terrified by a dark stranger
lurking in the dark. Indeed the the riffs are supported by some John
Carpenter esque keyboards to produce yet more tension. ‘Tramotane’ almost
thrives on the paranoia it induces due to the chugging, pounding riffs, building
the tension, until the stranger bursts out of the darkness. This track
holds the monopoly on thick ass slow booming riffs and is more than admirably
supported by Marty's best vocal performance and the face breaking hammering of
the drums. This stuff is breathtaking.
You
are kinda left feeling subservient to the band given that they have just torn
us a new asshole from the fist pounding abuse we have endured for the best part
of 20 odd minutes, so in truth when Slomatics slow things down into ‘Blackwood’,
it is almost a welcome respite. At the same time, with clean guitars
and beautifully harmonious vocals, it could be construed as being the calm
before the storm or that the band is bidding you a farewell, because what
is due to come next will only wish you had never been born. ‘Theme
from Remora’ is the band having one final attempt to
batter us into submission, kinda like the tripods having one final flourish
before their inevitable death due to over exposure to the very air we
breathe. What we get is 4 1/2 minutes of Slomatics arming their fuzzed up
scarifiers and hit us with one final onslaught of repetitious riffs until
they final relent and we come full circle again with ‘Outer
Space’.
There
is only one final thing to say and that is, ‘A Hocht’ is an album that will be talked about for years to come
and in my opinion is their career defining record.
If you are yet to buy this
beast of a record, you can buy the CD here ,
vinyl here and
digital copy here
