Undergrind Metal

Hexis – XII Hexis have been impressing me ever since Abalam back in 2014. Their splits with This Gift is a Curse (2015) and Primitive Man (2015) introduced me to both of those bands, and they've always been part of the best in the catastrophic, dissonant blackened scenes. XII is similar to previous albums, with their classic suffocating sound of tremolo-picked pieces of hatred and despair staying untouched. That being said, there are some slightly heavier elements, as well as slightly more focussed songwriting which help XII stand out. Hexis has the habit of writing very short songs, but quite a few of them – it almost feels as if they divided their albums into chapters rather than wrote individual pieces. Everything flows, there are no breaks or interludes – it's a grindcore-esque approach to black metal, except with actual continuity between songs. By doing this, they turn their albums into dense, impenetrable slabs of hatred in which one must either dive and a...

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton Dark Essence Records – 2017 There's a rare breed of album which instantly becomes a cult classic, and I can confidently say Over Phlegeton is one of them. Experimental, weird, bizarre, none of these words come close to describing just how extraordinary and interesting this record is. If I had to draw parallels with another band, I'd say it's a heavier, more mature version of Mamaleek, with many similar elements such as the ethnic percussions or non-traditional scales, but with a much darker visage and more detailed composition. There have been incredible avant-garde metal albums using unconventional instruments, but none have been so tactfully used as the saxophone is on Over Phlegeton. Played as a full instrument and not a token nod to some jazzy experimentation, Five the Hierophant explore the extremeties of what the sax can do – from screaming leads floating above the guitars to wailing voices in the wind, passing by hear...

Hell – Hell Sentient Ruin Records – 2017 Hell, an aptly named and album given just how evil and malevolent they sound, is probably the best one-man act in doom metal this year. It's got some of the most effective riffs in the genre, paints an impressive and terrifying mental image, and has vocals reminiscent of the rawer side of black metal. MSV, sole member, describes the music as extreme funeral doom, and I'd be inclined to agree – I'd prefer to stay vague on the genre when there are so many influences. Death-doom and blackened doom both appear, as well as some more ambient elements, which all contribute to making this monster of an album a masterpiece. Some riffs sound like what blunt trauma feels like, others are more somber, and some are straight up acoustic sections such as the bridge in Victus. Variety is what surprised me the most, as MSV shows he's up to the task of writing an interesting, full album without getting tunnel vision, as a single perso...