Richard G.: On their last album ‘Amoeba’ French post metallers Hacride already proved to be more than capable musicians and composers. So naturally expectations for new material were sky high. But what Hacride has achieved on ‘Lazarus’ is better than I could ever have imagined: how on earth is it possible that this band has gotten so much better than last time around? The seven new compositions are of such an incredibly high level that you’d better get the oxygen masks out before you try this one out.
Hacride’s most impressive feature is that, despite the fact that a lot of influences are fairly easy to pick out, all of these influences are blended together in such a creative fashion into a completely unique sound of their own. Where previous efforts mainly seemed to rest on Devin Townsend-like walls of sound and Meshuggah-rhythmic, ‘Lazarus’ presents us with a broad range of sounds from the entire (progressive) post metal genre. What to think of the heavy, sluggish Neurosis-inspired riffing in ‘Phenomenon’? Or the dynamic quiet/loud alternations and subtle electronic touches (Cult Of Luna) in the closing ‘My Enemy’? Or the pumping postcore pummelling in the same song (The Ocean)? Or the fluent progressive guitar and bass bits, flowing from one climax to the other in ‘A World Of Lies’ and ‘Awakening’ (Tool, Burst)? Or what to think of the fantastic fifteen minute opener ‘To Walk Among Them’, where all influences culminate in possibly the most forward thinking postmetal composition you will hear this year?
All these elements are as recognisable as they are beautifully integrated in the open yet tight Hacride sound we have come to know and love. Technique and skill are used purely to serve the composition and it is exactly this which makes this French outfit good. ‘Lazarus’ gets better and better with each listen. For know this leads to the score below, but I am far from done with this album…
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