ALBUM REVIEW: Dormant – Hiraes

The sharp increase in high-quality melodic death metal releases seen over the last couple of years seems set to continue in 2024, with Germany’s HIRAES being one of the first out of the gate with their second album Dormant. This follow-up to their solid debut record Solitary finds them striding even further into the territory left behind by Gossow-era ARCH ENEMY, while simultaneously planting their own flag into the reinvigorated genre.

One of the marked differences with this release is the notable increase in the volume of stand-out tracks present. As far as album openers go, Through The Storm is as bone-rattling as they come, with the dual-guitar work from Lukas Kerk and Oliver Kirchner helping to pin down a melodic balance. Recent single We Owe No One could very well be the biggest sounding track that the band has released to date, beginning with some atmospheric guitar work that builds and gives way to a blast of intensity, propelled forward at full speed by drummer Mathias Blässe.

Britta Görtz’s vocals are crushing on this track and throughout Dormant, using her deep growls to add weight to the death metal side of the scales. During a momentary but not unwelcome change of pace, Undercurrent features Görtz using clean vocals during some of the slower, more contemplative sections. These moments don’t last long, but they work brilliantly in providing emphasis on the heavier bursts surrounding these sections before closing out with soaring tremolos and double bass drumming.

While the previous album felt somewhat weighted more towards the opening half, the quality of this album doesn’t diminish in any way. Come Alive is a haunting (almost) instrumental interlude that features some excellent guitar work but serves more as a thematic opening for the massive Ocean Child, which dabbles with some airy synths between the furious drumming and guttural growls. The synth work comes back in the opening of the title track Dormant, which tricks the listener with its symphonic metal opening before heading into pure melodic death metal and ending the album on a high with massive choruses and a conclusive statement by the dual guitarists.

HIRAES wear their influences on their sleeve with Dormant, and this openness may be partly responsible for the tightening of their sound and vision. Solitary was a solid foundation from which the band have expanded their sound, balancing Görtz’s death metal vocals perfectly with melodic guitar work across these ten tracks. Dormant is a formidable second album that improves on its predecessor with a consistency in musicianship and craft that sets HIRAES aside from their contemporaries in an increasingly busy genre.

Rating: 8/10

Dormant is set for release on January 26th via Napalm Records.

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