By:
Hunter Young
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 16/10/2015
Label: Independent
They show off groove without being flashy, talent without being full
of themselves, and honestly which puts many bigger bands to shame. If we can
see more of this, I am going to have to get more hours in my day! And listen
for that little Sabbathian charm!
‘MMXV’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Black Paint
2). Undertow
3). Keep It Low
4). The Apprentice
5). Orbit
6). Monkey’s Paw
7). Ride The Snake
8). Into The Sun
2). Undertow
3). Keep It Low
4). The Apprentice
5). Orbit
6). Monkey’s Paw
7). Ride The Snake
8). Into The Sun
Hyne is:
Koschelski
| vocals
Doerty | guitar
Roos | guitar
Stefanmann | bass
Björn | drums
Doerty | guitar
Roos | guitar
Stefanmann | bass
Björn | drums
The Review:
In
an increasingly fad driven approach to the metal scene as a whole, I really
appreciate when some of the niche stuff starts making waves. Having freshly
dropped from a jeans and t shirt clad angel, the newest from Hyne, ‘MMXV’ (2015
if you can't read letters), brings us back to a relaxed, fun genre of southern
dirt metal.
Sounding
somewhat like some early Clutch, with some Pumpjack, Superchief, or Brand New Sin
swirled in, Hyne comes out swinging with an almost
Sabbathian southern metal classic, ‘Black
Paint’. It starts a bit generic, but definitely hits its preferred stride
later in the song with a riff that is simple and polished. Hyne
loves to rock, which is what the genre is predominantly about. However, keeping
them tanked with Lead heavy gasoline brings fresh air to a genre that lets
people just sit on lacklustre riffs as long as they sound the part (Brand New Sin, I am looking at you), with very little
trimming of the band stencil. Hyne rectified this in
the way Clutch did, by giving us a better pace, better
riffs, and making us want to stomp our feet and wreck our necks in between sips
of our frosty beers!
Borrowing
from the heavier blues genres, they use a modicum of effects, such as pitch
shifters to keep it liquid and far out.
Wah to get that real nasty dirt, and of course some fuzz to cure what
ails ya. Huge amp sounds, a bombastic bass line, great vocals, this album
really needs very little extra to go big. The album never drags, as they show
wonderful pacing in the songs themselves, like when a riff just starts to take
over the clock they come in with a change or just crank that lead channel up
and let someone take off the blinders. They don't suffer from small production
either, keeping everything pretty equal, nothing washing out anything else, nothing
too low to enjoy, you can definitely feel the love and time on this record.
This
album/band actually has a lot to offer, with an early highlight in ‘Keep It Low’, as they give us those
lovely space vocals backed with some stellar finger dancing, and their vocalist
who wouldn't be amiss in the current Stoner revival either. I would almost say
dulcet, but it's dirtier than that. Its chrome and oil, with a little bit of
grumble, running down a midnight asphalt trail. They do slow it a bit on cuts ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘Orbit’, where they showcase rock solid
form of the instrumental on the latter. Latter cuts like ‘Ride the Snake’ highlight a bass player who is less body on the
stage with an instrument, and very much a thrumming, bottom end powerhouse
throughout the album; he's just very clearly shown here, and on the last third
mainly. They show off groove without being flashy, talent without being full of
themselves, and honestly which puts many bigger bands to shame. If we can see
more of this, I am going to have to get more hours in my day! And listen for
that little Sabbathian charm!
‘MMXV is available here
