ALBUM REVIEW: Unlamented – Hydra Vein
Coming back from any sort of hiatus is always going to be a daunting task. Is the fanbase going to be there? Will anyone care about the material? Can a band still pull it off like they did? Following a three-decade sabbatical, UK thrash band HYDRA VEIN return with their third album Unlamented. Following 1989’s After The Dream, HYDRA VEIN not only have to appease their own established fanbase but also draw interest from an entire new generation of music fans. With nine tracks of unadulterated thrash, has this album been worth the wait?
HYDRA VEIN get off to a promising start with the typically thrashy Khuylo. The 51-second snippet features grinding guitars, pummelling drums, and an aggressive tone to perfectly set the scene for an obliterating record. Though is a sub-minute track enough for a band to show us what they’re made of on a record opener? With this in mind, Does The End Justify The Means gives us the deliciously high-octane thrash we’re looking for. Blending the shredding riffs with an edge of dark tones paves the way for to the point vocals. They may come with a catchy cadence but there are no frills on display here. What we get with Unlamented is brash, sharp, and to the point. Until we get to the guitar solos. Opulent works of finger shredding let us know this is very much a guitar album above all else. This comes at the cost of other machinations at times, where a nice groove with double kick becomes sped up and lost in the aether as the shred takes over.
An instance where this isn’t entirely appropriate is the title track. For context, this is a song addressing missing children which are at times preyed upon by what we’ll call unsavoury people. Rapists, drug traffickers, people of that ilk. HYDRA VEIN deliver a wonderfully crisp guitar section in the intro before we are hit with the gut punch of a 12-year-old escaping “Daddy’s dark embrace”. What follows is a rather harrowing tale which comes to a “bloody end”. While the low guitars and bass sitting high in the mix appeal to our minds, the context of the song sits uncomfortably, as well it should. So much so that Eradication Zone begins to pass us by before we’re able to fully engage with it mentally. The intro consists of a bouncy riff which speeds up with the vocals coming in. This album, following the thrash protocols, is fast and unrelenting. Until the chorus slows for what we will assume is for a crowd participation moment when this enters the live arena. Something we also enjoy is the sliver of melody within the guitar solo before it becomes a barrage of notes coming from every angle.
Where the title track rightly criticised one part of society, Age Of Plague sets itself after the natural arrogance the human race has. While some people will joke about their hubris being their downfall, HYDRA VEIN strip the humour away and point out “we stagger blindly to our graves”. Music at its crux is always open to interpretation so while this song could be taken as a commentary on our arrogance, could the virus at play pertain to a certain pandemic? Answers on a postcard. It’s the first time on this record that we’re able to appreciate the musicianship of the band at play. A flourish of drums before the meat and potatoes of the song is vastly appreciated while a slower than usual guitar solo invites us to sit back and simply listen.
It’s something we try to apply to Blood Eagle Dawn’s chunkiness too. We indulge in the overlaying riff before it dissolves into the main instrumental and allow it to wash over us. Then we hear the content of the song. Does the titular Blood Eagle refer to the execution method possibly adopted by Viking raiders? With talk of pillaging and raiding villages, we’re inclined to believe so. Listening to a tale of a kingdom “bathed in blood and thunder”, there’s nothing about Unlamented which really stands out for us.
HYDRA VEIN attempt to deliver a social commentary with Unlamented. They succeed with this in places but then fail in others. Blue Lamp and Mano A Mano address the idea of aggression and the need to hype ourselves up before entering some form of physical altercation. Though in doing this, we’re presented with questionable lyrics. “We are here / Where we are” is clunky. Depicting yourself and your enemy in coloured corners as if set to take part in a boxing contest feels lazy in construction. All in all, it becomes a display of what not to do when it comes to marking your territory.
We asked at the top of the review whether Unlamented has been worth the wait. HYDRA VEIN have given us a typical thrash record. It’s okay to listen to but doesn’t overstep itself in any way. After the midway point it seems to lack ambition and drive. By record’s end, we’re left with neither negative or positive feelings. Rather, we are indifferent to it. Instead of rousing feelings of wanting to change society’s predatory ways, Unlamented snuffs itself out in unceremonious fashion.
Rating: 5/10
Unlamented is out now via Back On Black Records.
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