Hebosagil in a Big Sun
Admittedly, for the first half-minute of opener “Big Sun,” I thought Hebosagil might be clones of fellow Finns, Swallow the Sun, but once? the song got going with Tatu Junno‘s abrasive vocals and Colossal (Kaos Kontrol) began to unfold, the music showed itself to be more in line with the likes of Church of Misery, Greenmachine or a more fully-toned Eyehategod. Comprised of seven tracks with speeds ranging from the grindcore-fast centerpiece “River” to the sludge-fueled crawl of closer “Death,” the album’s only real detriment is that the songs come across too thickly to really distinguish themselves. It sounds nasty, that’s for damn sure.
That nasty sound, and because it’s so up front and in your face, can easily lead one to think Hebosagil is simplistic, but a closer listen reveals that even though the tones don’t change much there is some variety in the music. The vocals, on the other hand, stick to throaty screams. Guitarists Antti Karjalainen and Remi Rousselle don’t just bang out riff after riff without thought of transition or structure, but again, a lot of that effort is lost in the morass of noise coming from the speakers. Colossal is not an easy or a friendly listen. The music is harsh in a way that brings to mind modern grind acts like Complete Failure or a more bombastic/mythology-free Lair of the Minotaur.
Colossal‘s only genuine contemplative moment comes in “Primeval Terror,” in the form of a quiet bass-only section of repeated notes from Oskari K?hk?nen. Before long the rest of the band joins back in and the melee continues unabated. “Cosmic,” which shares its name with a 2007 Hebosagil EP, launches with a rocking groove that leads into more rumbling from (now former) drummer Ilpo Heikkinen and more of Junno‘s tortured screams. It’s not that the album is one-dimensional, but it’s as though one dimension is way bigger and obscuring the others. There’s some cool stuff going on, but the quite frankly painful sound seems put in place to mask a lack of originality.
And yet, on another day, I might herald this as the real deal, true shit all others are trying to be. I guess it would really depend on your mood as you sit down to listen. Or maybe that’s the problem — you shouldn’t sit at all while you’re listening. Music to stand to? Perhaps. More like music to drag someone out of their car and beat them within an inch of their life to, but standing is at least a start in that direction.
They’ve got the crushing atmosphere thing down, but there’s no real innovation happening here, just some distinction you have to work extra hard to hear. Making the effort might be worth it in the end, however, there’s a lot of screamy doom in this world. Part of me really wants to dig into Colossal and part of me is unconvinced the other part doesn’t just like anything with a slow riff. You could do worse, but you’ll hardly break a sweat doing better either. A true case of meh.
