ALBUM REVIEW: Volume II – Hyborian
HYBORIAN, a trio from Kansas, USA are a concept band, based on the fantasy sci-fi novel The Traveller: A Hyborian Tale written by main vocalist guitarist and vocalist Martin Bush which is centred around the “shadowy, cloaked figure appearing on the cover of Volume I” who they also describe as the band mascot. As a relatively new band, starting in 2015, it seems they have worked at honing their craft to produce a concept album with a sound which is a concoction of a variety of varying influences from straight up thrash metal like METALLICA to the raging stoner riffs of HIGH ON FIRE and various NWOBHM-leaning bands. The question is, have they simply recycled and regurgitated a bunch of riffs and vocals, or is this the conception of a new ingenious sound? Volume II focuses on the end of the aforementioned book which features the destruction of the universe.
Opener Driven By Hunger powers up with driving HIGH ON FIRE style pentatonic riffs and drums which gallop through whole album, they are accompanied by the upbeat James Hetfield and Troy Sanders (MASTODON) inspired vocals of Martin Bush and Ryan Bates. The chorus which kicks in is catchy, repetitive and bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Thrashy solos kick in a bit later along with dynamic and abstract drumming from Justin Ripeto which is perhaps the most interesting and powerful element and add another layer to the range. Closing with some more technicality in the guitar solos contrasted with rumbling drum rolls and which are bound to keep the less elitist heads nodding.
Stormbound maintains the upbeat galloping riffery and vibrant vocals akin to ASG combined with dual overlapping vocals more like MASTODON the feel of a traveller on a journey is certainly portrayed. However, at times this feels like more of a slog through the same landscape and some of the excitement one might be hoping for is a little lost. The MASTODON worship continues and is at its most obvious in Sanctuary where one might be forgiven for mistaking the vocals to actually be Sanders himself. There is however a slight change in tone adding some more thrashy fast and heavy guitar which transitions well into Planet Destructor making these the heaviest tracks on the album which propels Volume II forward hurtling through the black hole of repetition.
The Entity slows the pace down a little with slightly ominous chugging guitars and wailing yells tied together by the talented drumming while The Expanse might be the catchiest on, taking a much more mellow path in the anthemic chorus. It flows so well into The Portal that it’s hard to distinguish between the two, other than the darker tone The Portal blends in. The Traveller kicks in which is again very similar to the rest of the album but possibly the light at the end of the tunnel or the journey of getting through the rest. The conclusion to Volume II is the most experimental of the whole record in taking a far more ambient turn with synthy glitches, creepy sci-fi/satanic dialogue and gentle acoustic strumming.
Unfortunately, it feels like the flair and heaviness from Volume I has been lost, there are a lot of elements that feel pretty recycled from various bands and genres from thrash to sludge but the result is something which means they just about retain their own identity. Sludge fans may find that description a bit of a stretch but HYBORIAN do a good job of joining the gap of between mainstream metal and stoner doom so it seems this should be a good recipe for their success in appealing to a range of fans.
Rating: 6/10
Volume II is out now via Season of Mist.
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