ALBUM REVIEW: Hexis, "Aeternum"

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26/08/2022
Label: Debemur Morti Productions

 
“Aeternum” CD//SS//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Letum
2. Divinitas
3. Exhaurire
4. Interitus
5. Tacet
6. Accipis
7. Nunquam
8. Vulnera
9. Captivus
10. Memento
11. Amissus
12. Aeternum
 
The Review:
 
Copenhagen’s Hexis have clocked up over 800 gigs over their lifespan thus far- so hard touring seems to be part of their DNA. The rest of their DNA seems to be blackened hardcore- mixing the aggression of Agnostic Front with the sweeping wall of noise of, well, any number of Scandi-BM acts.
 
These Danes bring aggression and speed across the first two tracks and when “Letum” and “Divinitas” have given way, the dissonant and sinister tones of “Exhaurire” showcase another aspect of the band’s sound. Truthfully, it is the faster and sharper material that I gravitate towards here and there is no shortage of it; most songs clock in between one and a half and four minutes with only a handful extending this run time.
 
This is an album which sounds good- it’s clear and noisy/filthy at the same time. The post metal aspects of the band’s sound can be heard on tracks like “Vulnera”, while elsewhere the band bring weight as well as speed.
 
If you like the idea of blackened hardcore mixed with sludge and post metal elements, then this band is exactly the kind of band you might see on one of the stages at Damnation Festival that would rip the place apart. There is nothing wrong with this album at all and it is as fine an example of the melding of genres as I can think of. Vicious.
 
“Aeternum” is available HERE 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Danish blackened hardcore nihilists Hexis present a glimpse into the abyss with "Nefarious"

Danish blackened hardcore nihilists HEXIS present a brief glimpse into the abyss with 'Nefarius', a new track taken from upcoming EP, 'XII'. This nihilistic wall of noise was recorded by Lewis Johns at The Ranch Production House and was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.

Pre-orders for 'XII' available now via Truthseeker Music (UK) here and is a co-release via Division Records (CH), Moment of Collapse (DE) and Crown and Throne LTD (US)

'XII' will is available to purchase as a deluxe gatefold 10" vinyl with CD, and will be available for free / pay what you want digital download on Bandcamp from September 29th. With the release on the cusp of the horizon, you can check out ‘Nefarious’ in full below

At the time of writing, HEXIS have played over 125 shows in more than 30 countries in 2017 alone.   Their next tour is of the USA and begins in under 2 weeks. The dates are as follows:

Live Rituals

15/09/17 - Beacon, NY @ Howland Cultural Center

16/09/17 - Baltimore, MD @ Shadow Woods

17/09/17 - FT Wayne, IN @Skeletunes Lodge

18/09/17 - Chicago, IL @ Livewire

19/09/17 - Madison, WI @ Art In

20/09/17 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews

21/09/17 - Denver, CO @ Streets of London

22/09/17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club X

23/09/17 - Boise, ID @ Shredder

24/09/17 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

25/09/17 - Eugene, OR @ Nick's

26/09/17 - Portland, OR @ High Water Mark

27/09/17 - San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room

28/09/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ 5 Star Bar

29/09/17 - San Diego, CA @ TBA

30/09/17 - Mesa, AZ @ Yucca Taproom

01/10/17 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Underground

02/10/17 - El Paso, TX @ TBA

03/10/17 - Austin, TX @ The Lost Well

04/10/17 - New Orleans, LA @ Siberia

05/10/17 - Nashville, TN @ TBA

06/10/17 - Columbus, OH @ The Summit

07/10/17 - Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA

08/10/17 - Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

This Gift Is A Curse - "All Hail The Swinelord" (Album Review)

By: Chris Bull

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 16/10/2015

Label: Season of Mist

It's very difficult to describe the music on this; such is the profound effect it's had. Think Nails with Black Metal and Sludge influences and you'd be on the right track. I can envisage a few end of year lists needing readjustment after hearing this. A future classic? Time will tell.

“All Hail The Swinelord” CD//DD//LP

1. Swinelord
2. New Temples
3. Rites
4. XI: For I Am The Fire
5. Hanging Feet
6. Old Lies
7. We Use Your Dead As Vessels
8. Askrådare

This Gift is a Curse is:

Jonas A. Holmberg | vocals
Lars Gunnarsson | bass
Johan Nordlund | drums
Patrik Andersson | guitars & vocals

The Review:

This Gift Is A Curse have just blown my mind, so excuse me while I try to gather some coherent thought to appropriately review this thing.

An overwhelming atmospheric weight seems to be forcing the walls in. Angular stabs of distortion swarm like flies around an abandoned cadaver. Screams and shrieks echo and warn of peril, like prophetic crows gathering. Furious hordes of undead mercenaries tear at flesh and bone, sparing no one. Molten lava spews vehemently from cracks in the earth, destroying cities and villages in seconds. Angels with clipped wings scream supersonically among the wreckage, their eyes streaming bloody tears. Holy men denounce their faiths and open their veins. Mountains crumble and seas overflow. You take a deep breath as you stare death in its unfathomable abyss, and then you close your eyes. And blink. Could it have all been a dream or was it a premonition? Then, out the corner of your eye, you notice a crow...and then another...

It's very difficult to describe the music on this; such is the profound effect it's had. Think Nails with Black Metal and Sludge influences and you'd be on the right track. I can envisage a few end of year lists needing readjustment after hearing this. A future classic? Time will tell.

“All Hail The Swinelord” is available here

FFO: Celeste, Hexis, The Secret, Coffinworm

Band info: facebook | bandcamp

Primitive Man / Hexis Split 10" (Review)

Album Type: Split 10”

Date Released : 13/5/2014

Label: Halo of Flies

Primitive Man / Hexis “Split 10” track listing :

1). Primitive Man – Getting high is not enough

2). Hexis - Excrucio

Bio :

Milwaukee label HALO OF FLIES has paired the crushing, doomy sludge churned out by Denver's PRIMITIVE MAN with the trademark blackened hardcore sound of Denmark's HEXIS for a truly menacing 10" split. The two-track record is now available for pre-order from Halo of Flies and will be released on May 13, 2014 on black and white vinyl.

The upcoming split follows the success of Primitive Man's major-label debut on Relapse Records, Scorn, and the recently Halo of Flies-released full-length Abalam from Hexis, with both bands hitting the road together this summer to display the sheer power and intensity of this formidable pairing during a slew of live dates. Halo of Flies has recently confirmed a Primitive Man split with Milwaukee crusher Northless in the near future.
 

666 45rpm 10" copies of the split will be pressed, 420 on black and 246 on white with art by Ethan McCarthy of Primitive Man. European fans are encouraged to place orders through Throatruiner Records.

Review :

Primitive Man return with nigh on eight minutes of horror entitled When Getting High Is Not Enough. The bass rumbles very convincingly as the sludgy groove crawls forth out of the speakers. Things really speed up to a hyper active blast after a couple of minutes as the vocals go from guttural to feral before the whole thing collapses back in squalls of feedback to a much slower pace.  Ominous tribal battering of the toms ushers in the next segment of the track prior to the slide towards an inevitably horrible end of feedback and despair.

Hexis weigh in with Excrucio and over the course of eight minutes; there is some truly horrible material. The drums are beaten to within an inch of their heads' lives (good bass drum work) and the guitars take on a distinctive black metal vibe. There is more to the band than just speed, as they ring the changes with slower tempos while keeping the all important misanthropy very much alive.

All in all, a cool little 10” split showcasing both bands and the heights (depths) they can reach.

Words by: Richard Maw

You can get it from HALO OF FLIES

For more information :

HALO OF FLIES:

WEBSITE
STORE
BANDCAMP

FACEBOOK
TWITTER

PRIMITIVE MAN:

WEBSITE
BANDCAMP
FACEBOOK

HEXIS:
STORE
BANDCAMP

FACEBOOK

PRIMITIVE MAN & HEXIS Summer Assault 2014:

7/19/2014 Hi-Dive - Denver, CO

7/20/2014 West Wing - Omaha, NE

7/21/2014 Davey's uptown - Kansas City, MO

7/22/2014 Rail 2 - Peoria, IL

7/23/2014 The Melody Inn - Indianapolis, IN

7/24/2014 Corktown Tavern - Detroit, MI

7/25/2014 Cobra Lounge - Chicago, IL

7/26/2014 SurfinBird Skateshop - Appleton, WI (early show)

7/26/2014 Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI

7/27/2014 The Triple Rock - Saint Paul, MN

7/28/2014 Zoo Cabaret - Winnipeg, MB

7/29/2014 Local 510 - Calgary, AB

7/30/2014 Biltmore - Vancouver, BC

7/31/2014 Highline - Seattle, WA

8/01/2014 Ray's Golden Lion - Richland, WA

8/02/2014 Tonic Lounge - Portland, OR

8/03/2014 Starlite Lounge - Sacramento, CA

8/04/2014 Sub Mission - San Francisco, CA

8/05/2014 First Church Of The Buzzard - Oakland, CA

8/06/2014 Witch House - Santa Cruz, CA

8/07/2014 5 Star Bar - Los Angeles, CA

8/08/2014 Holland Project - Reno, NV

8/09/2014 The Sugar Space - Salt Lake City, UT

8/10/2014 TBA - Colorado Springs, CO