ALBUM REVIEW: Gregær – The Hirsch Effekt

Coming hot on the heels of 2020’s Kollaps, Gregær is a complete re-imagining of some of the tech-metal band’s back catalogue. A four track EP, consisting of re-workings of Kollaps‘ Domstol and the title track, another re-imagining of 2017’s Natans from Eskapist, and a brand new track, the title track of the EP, Gregær. This EP is a far cry from their tech-metal roots, and instead of drawing inspiration from the likes of MESHUGGAH and CAR BOMB, THE HIRSCH EFFEKT draw on the likes of Frank Zappa, and a whole array of classically trained and jazz musicians. The jazz influence here is really potent, with frequent key changes and experimental risks taken that really highlight the chaotic nature of the genre.

A lot of bands when they work with an orchestra simply add a bombastic backing track. THE HIRSCH EFFEKT have eschewed that trope for a complete reworking of three of their songs. Turning tech-metal hit Natans into a truly classical piece of music, it’s clear that the trio are skilled songwriters, as the songs retain their base elements even whilst the ‘metal’ aspect of them is completely stripped away, with jazzy backing vocals and soaring strings making this sound more like something you’d hear in a lounge bar than a euro tech band. Nonetheless, it still follows the same structure as the original song, simply replacing the instruments with some of their more classical compatriots, and leaving the song recognisable.

THE HIRSCH EFFEKT have often taken influence from outside the world of metal, and this EP is their chance to fully explore that. Vocalist Nils Wittrock has often been reminiscent of a choral singer, and stripping away all the distortion and ‘heavy’ elements of the metal world that are often crutches for musicians really gives his voice the chance to soar. Sounding much softer than on any of their previous records, he still has a powerful voice, and whilst his work on Domstol and Kollaps may be more bombastic on the album versions, the use of alternative instruments, a softer tone – and most importantly, backing vocals, really changes this into an almost completely different band. This softer vocal melody makes the screams on this EP so much more impactful. No one expects to hear screams on a song backed by a choir and a full orchestra, and yet Wittrock utilises his full vocal range, which feels almost fuller when complemented by a much bigger brigade of musicians.

Final track, Gregær, probably should be the most interesting song on the record, as it doesn’t draw from anything the band have done before, and is instead a chance for THE HIRSCH EFFEKT to write this style of orchestral music for a completely original song. Unfortunately it also feels the blandest, as it really feels as if it has been written as a traditional THE HIRSCH EFFEKT song, and simply replaced the guitars with violins for the most part. The structure is really no different to the album track re-workings, and it really feels like the band missed a chance here to create something truly unique.

Gregær is an interesting curio. It’s always exciting to see a band go outside of their comfort zone, and no one can fault THE HIRSCH EFFEKT for the ambition they’ve shown here. However, whilst the re-workings of songs from their previous records do add something new, they never truly create something that doesn’t follow the traditional formula of ‘fast-slow-fast’ that they’ve followed on record for a while. The title track could have been their chance to write something really unique within their discography, but in the end it feels squandered.

Rating: 6/10

Gregær is out now via Long Branch Records.

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