Progeny Review on Thrashocore.com
thrashocore.com
I don’t know what they are smoking in local American post offices, but something tells me that it must make holes in the memory: I was waiting since the beginning of January and the debut promo of HUNG just arrived a few days ago. Luckily it was well worth it, an awesome item to receive, and with more one-sheets and photos than you would need for an entire South American black metal fanzine (you know the ones where you learn that Mayhem is the biggest group of all time and that three chickens were sacrificed to the glory of Satan while this song was being written), but especially augmented with the inclusion of a very nice digipak instead of the usual promo in a stained cardboard sleeve with coffee proudly spilled on it. A good impression that even their satanic mugs couldn't succeed in erasing; all in all, it was a good start!
Despite what their name might indicate, the group does not come from the prefect of Aube (ah yes...Hung of Troy) but actually from the States. And more precisely from the Big Apple (New York for you morons out there who don’t read my column enough). Playing in a style that well occupies the self described progressive death metal label, HUNG offers us here their second album which at 5 cuts long for a little less than 35 minutes is not an unpleasant listen.
The first thing that jumps into our ears is the presence of an element that frankly is a rarity in the world of metal, a violin to be exact (electric in this case!) If we were already used to hearing violin in a handful of black symphonic groups each worse than the next (it's the genre that demands that), HUNG offers us a real departure, the violin used not in sporadic bursts, but well and constantly (yes, a seeming paradox sadly but although I usually take my readers to be no more than cretins, there it is). Besides the famous Unexpect, I can’t think of another group with such a bold musical style, and I have to admit that in their progressive death metal category, the violin shreds perfectly through HUNG’s musical licks.
Far from any stereotypes, the group in fact makes it mark with its own sound, which you could maybe compare to an updated Cynic (in terms of ultra technical skills and dense sounds at least) with some light recall to the far away time when Opeth was still making stuff you could actually listen to.
It's an ambitious album, but not too much so, and HUNG never falls in the trap of pretentious technique which alienates the middle brow listener because technique there is, but it’s in service of an awesome melodic concept. Melodies which are in fact relatively intricate, but again the group doesn't get too uppity and puts the progressive label aside often enough to let us feel an emotional refrain like in “Desert of Sad”. Also, the black metal vocals bring a touch of originality to the progressive death label, and again allows the group to distinguish itself from the masses.
HUNG shows real musicality, but it is also true however that some sections can sound a little light, even a little feeble. The excellent black vocal sound sometimes is replaced by a vocal that is definitely clearer, but in its deliberateness seems a little forced. And the passages that are too progressive are also a little long whilst the more regular rock passages which are equally excellent, are a little too sporadic. All in all it is not really SO ambitious as to elicit the cry of "genius" and the relatively short play time of Progeny leaves in the mouth a slight taste of incompletion.
For those of you who are new to melodic or progressive death metal (even better new to both) it would be a big mistake to overlook Progeny, which shows the biggest and best qualities of the genre, whether in technique or songwriting, from a young group. Even if we did regret that HUNG didn’t further exploit its progressive flights and technical prowess, there is no lack of pure pleasure in the album as a whole. Knowing that 4 out of 5 pieces of this album can be heard on their myspace page, there really is no excuse to miss out on HUNG.
7.5 out of 10
I don’t know what they are smoking in local American post offices, but something tells me that it must make holes in the memory: I was waiting since the beginning of January and the debut promo of HUNG just arrived a few days ago. Luckily it was well worth it, an awesome item to receive, and with more one-sheets and photos than you would need for an entire South American black metal fanzine (you know the ones where you learn that Mayhem is the biggest group of all time and that three chickens were sacrificed to the glory of Satan while this song was being written), but especially augmented with the inclusion of a very nice digipak instead of the usual promo in a stained cardboard sleeve with coffee proudly spilled on it. A good impression that even their satanic mugs couldn't succeed in erasing; all in all, it was a good start!
Despite what their name might indicate, the group does not come from the prefect of Aube (ah yes...Hung of Troy) but actually from the States. And more precisely from the Big Apple (New York for you morons out there who don’t read my column enough). Playing in a style that well occupies the self described progressive death metal label, HUNG offers us here their second album which at 5 cuts long for a little less than 35 minutes is not an unpleasant listen.
The first thing that jumps into our ears is the presence of an element that frankly is a rarity in the world of metal, a violin to be exact (electric in this case!) If we were already used to hearing violin in a handful of black symphonic groups each worse than the next (it's the genre that demands that), HUNG offers us a real departure, the violin used not in sporadic bursts, but well and constantly (yes, a seeming paradox sadly but although I usually take my readers to be no more than cretins, there it is). Besides the famous Unexpect, I can’t think of another group with such a bold musical style, and I have to admit that in their progressive death metal category, the violin shreds perfectly through HUNG’s musical licks.
Far from any stereotypes, the group in fact makes it mark with its own sound, which you could maybe compare to an updated Cynic (in terms of ultra technical skills and dense sounds at least) with some light recall to the far away time when Opeth was still making stuff you could actually listen to.
It's an ambitious album, but not too much so, and HUNG never falls in the trap of pretentious technique which alienates the middle brow listener because technique there is, but it’s in service of an awesome melodic concept. Melodies which are in fact relatively intricate, but again the group doesn't get too uppity and puts the progressive label aside often enough to let us feel an emotional refrain like in “Desert of Sad”. Also, the black metal vocals bring a touch of originality to the progressive death label, and again allows the group to distinguish itself from the masses.
HUNG shows real musicality, but it is also true however that some sections can sound a little light, even a little feeble. The excellent black vocal sound sometimes is replaced by a vocal that is definitely clearer, but in its deliberateness seems a little forced. And the passages that are too progressive are also a little long whilst the more regular rock passages which are equally excellent, are a little too sporadic. All in all it is not really SO ambitious as to elicit the cry of "genius" and the relatively short play time of Progeny leaves in the mouth a slight taste of incompletion.
For those of you who are new to melodic or progressive death metal (even better new to both) it would be a big mistake to overlook Progeny, which shows the biggest and best qualities of the genre, whether in technique or songwriting, from a young group. Even if we did regret that HUNG didn’t further exploit its progressive flights and technical prowess, there is no lack of pure pleasure in the album as a whole. Knowing that 4 out of 5 pieces of this album can be heard on their myspace page, there really is no excuse to miss out on HUNG.
7.5 out of 10
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