ALBUM REVIEW: Hiraeth – Mask Of Prospero
“Hiraeth in Welsh culture is a mixture of longing, referring to a sense of homesickness tinged with grief and sorrow over the loss. A yearning for what has passed.” That’s how the Athenian five-piece known as MASK OF PROSPERO describe the meaning behind the title of their second studio album. Having previously made the soundwaves in 2018 with their first full-length The Observation, and having since toured alongside huge names like THY ART IS MURDER and TESSERACT, they’re back and bringing forth their sweet concoction of metalcore and progressive metal. Join us on this personal quest to horeeya (which means freedom in Arabic).
The band waste little time as they kick the album off with Divided; they dive straight into this groove-induced riff that eventually turns into this magnificent wall of sound comprising a wailing guitar in the background, the bitter bite of that bass tone slicing through that noise, and ferocious screams that when combined offer some heavy emotion. Hourglass however teases us with its opening riff sounding very reminiscent to the early days of SLIPKNOT and despite this short-lived fantasy the chorus dissolves into this melancholic atmosphere from the perfectly curated chord structure to the unearthly, contradicting vocal melody. Overall, this track has a great sense of texture and sound building as we fade out to this beautiful piano section that has a chilling feel to it with its subtly placed wind noises flowing in the background.
The record swiftly moves on to Exile which is essentially a love-letter to the band TESSERACT with its crisp, emotive clean sections and its distorted groove assaulting main riff. Vocalist Chris Kontoulis offers cleans that are very similar to those of Dan Tompkins but his screams do well to derive from becoming a carbon copy of the TESSERACT frontman with his bellowing mixture of highs and lows. It really captures the essence of the feeling of exile, you can hear the despair apparent in his voice.
Elsewhere, tracks like Lethe and Lament seem to lean towards inspiration from the Holy Hell era of ARCHITECTS, with Lethe giving an eerie vibe similar to A Wasted Hymn that comes across through the tremolo-picked leads and the similarities in vocal melody structures to those of Sam Carter, and Lament being more of a culmination of that era combined with this feeling of deep unsettlement from the start. Amal does its best to break these tracks apart and by far has a sound that can’t be compared to any of the aforementioned bands. Opening with the sound of oceans and a synth that soon after is accompanied by female vocals that offer something different thus far into the record, the sudden abrupt change into the heavier section feels off place in this instance. Despite this minor error it does well in complimenting both vocalists and offers some juicy djent riffs that are all round fun; it’s just a shame it ends far too quickly from when it began.
Kyma is the softest of the eight tracks and arguably the most beautiful if you are more of a lyric-enthused individual; the band’s idea to add underwater effects at the start of the track really adds another layer of emotion. The violin build up, pounding drums and shoegaze-fuelled noise adds this sudden urgency to this track. Then as the sun rises from its slumber we close this book with its final chapter: Horeeya. This track delivers in all aspects; melancholic undertones, heavenly cleans, intricate lead sections, and roaring screams. Its use of orchestral arrangements cements this as an epic finish to a sad tale; or rather that’s how it feels particularly with its haunting chants of ‘Horeeya‘. A perfect way to close an album on a high note.
As a whole this record has some really great moments but it is bound to have people on two sides of the fence. To some it arguably offers nothing that hasn’t already been done before by bands like ARCHITECTS and TESSERACT, with very little identity of their own. To others though this record could possibly mean everything to them. It holds up a lot emotionally and for those who listen for the meaning and message in music, this delivers. As does their ability to story tell through sounds and textural soundscapes. The band as whole really know how to tap into negative emotions bringing forth this real, raw sound in all aspects, be it vocals, guitars, drums, bass or even piano. It goes without saying though that it’s worth sticking around for these guys to see where the future will lead them because they display a fantastic sense of musicianship that isn’t worth ignoring. Who knows they could very well be the next ARCHITECTS in the years to come.
Rating: 7/10
Hiraeth is out now via ViciSolum Productions.
Like MASK OF PROSPERO on Facebook.