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.

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