Release Date: 19th February 2021. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Hinterlands - Tracklisting
Counting
Ochre And Umber
Interzone Mantra
Still Life
Uncanny Valley
June
Review
Hinterlands is the new album from Psych Stoner Rockers JakeTheHawk. This is the band's first record for their new label Ripple Music and continues in a similar style of music as that we’ve seen bands such as Forming The Void and Howling Giant played to great acclaim. I can see similar great things for JakeTheHawk on their new album with the band playing a more majestic style of Psych Stoner Rock compared to their debut album.
Hinterlands is a spellbinding collection of epic songs that drifts from one style of Psychedelic Stoner Rock/Metal to another that you wouldn’t expect.
Opening song - Counting - opens with an almost surreal Ambient Post-Rock texture where the guitars slowly come into focus and move into a heavier style of Post-Doom/Post-Stoner that allows JakeTheHawk to expand on their heavy progressive sound. The vocals are excellent from the start and goes superbly well with the heavy sludgy guitars appearing for a more Alternative Desert Rock sound.
Second song - Ochre And Umber - adapts a different style of music for this song with a more folk rock atmosphere blending Americana themes and JakeTheHawk’s unmistakable heavy guitar trademark sound. The song then moves into quieter territory for the vocals to take centre stage and the Alternative vibe of the album leading the way. There is still some gloomy atmospherics heard within the song but the song also adds a more despairing Desert Rock flow which the band have delicious fun playing their progressive riffs against.
Third song - Interzone Mantra - opens with a gloomy riff that has fun teasing the listener of what style of music that will appear next. JakeTheHawk plays another wild style of Cinematic Post-Doom Rock with that addictive Psych Stoner Metal having a more direct presence to it. The song takes it’s time to get to its natural conclusion. The vocals whilst not as strong as the opening two songs do offer a different style when the band offer dual vocals that move into CHANT based territory.
The 2nd half of the album sees JakeTheHawk continue their Psychedelic Music revolution with the band changing styles yet again across 3 excellent songs with Still Life and June being the best parts of the album. Whilst there are some challenging parts for the listener to experience, the album is always constantly engaging backed up by fantastic production values. This is a Ripple Music, do we expect anything less.
Hinterlands is a deeply rich and progressive wild album with a few surprises along the way. Such as the harsh vocals that appear out of nowhere on certain parts of the album.
JakeTheHawk calls their music Appalachian Desert Rock and that is a good description but there’s so much more to the band than that cool description. They have written excellent and emotionally driven lyrics to match the brilliant music contained on the album. Put this altogether and you have the ingredients for an unmissable album.
As I said before, if you dig Howling Giant and Forming The Void then JakeTheHawk will make you feel right at home with this spellbinding and deeply hypnotic album.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo. Hinterlands will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music from February 19th 2021.
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