Release Date: 09th December 2022. Record Label: Overdrive Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Volume Three: Burrowing Kingdoms
1.343 Days Asleep
Lost Home
Pathgrinder
Square Tip
Deep Range
Grief Chant Pt.I - II - III
Grief Chant Pt. IV - V
Ktolonite
Members
The Sarge - Guitars/Vocals/Synths
The Wulff - Drums/Synths
Review
Italian Heavy Psych/Space/Sludge/Stoner Metal Duo Hyperwülff return with their new album Volume Three: Burrowing Kingdoms and focus heavily more on their Spaced Out Psychedelic Sounds for this release. Expect a lot of superbly constructed synths and psychedelic passages that sees the band play an aggressive style of Sludge/Stoner Metal.
Hyperwülff include a lot of heavy noise and aggression for a DUO and feel they have more members in their ranks which has remained constant since their inception. Forging sounds from bands such as Mastodon, High On Fire, Baroness, SLEEP and Black Sabbath but with a kick-ass Ambient and Space Rock score. The songs have a certain GENGHIS TRON flavour to them with how Hyperwülff interact with the different Electronica styles of music that appear on the album.
The first few songs of the album 1.343 Das Asleep, Lost Home and Pathgrinder showcase what the band do best by weaving electronica based Space Rock with the sludgier grooves for a fast-paced musical adventure. The vocals are your standard clean based Sludge/Stoner Metal affair and handled superbly well from start to finish though the band do veer into Harsher growls on certain parts of the album which remain easy to understand.
The production is great throughout with perhaps a few rough sounding moments when the Post-Hardcore and Groove elements appear on the album. However, the real star or outstanding parts of the album is the music with aggressive outbursts of vivid creative energy leading the way when Hyperwulf focus more upon their Sludgier sound.
Other great songs to check out are: Square Tip, Deep Range, Grief Chants Pts 1 to 5 (which is spread across two songs and Ktolonite. That's actually the whole album I've listed there. Hyperwülff perhaps play the heaviest and most interesting sounds on the album from Deep Range with a fine excessive use of Ambient Sounds and Glitches that allows the Psychedelic Sounds and Synth based rhythms to fully shine. The sound is experimental and does need a few listens to fully get accustomed to.
However, Hyperwülff are on fine creative and this album does end up being their most mature work to date. The record is perhaps not as "riff-centric" compared to the band's previous album or volumes. Though, there's still a ton of killer sounds and riffs to discover within the Psychedelic and Doomed Out Ambient Wasteland that appears on Burrowing Kingdoms.
The album is quite melodic when the aggressive and experimental noises are kept to a bare minimum and I did admire the crazy and chaotic nature of this album. Quite refreshing to hear amongst the Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves that Hyperwülff offer on the album.
Overall, Volume Three: Burrowing Kingdoms is a refreshingly different Sludge/Stoner Metal that allows Hyperwülff to take huge creative risks and challenges with their music. Whilst, still offering their fan-base a wild ride into the Sludge/Stoner Metal abyss.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Overdrive Records for the promo.
Volume Three: Burrowing Kingdoms will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Overdrive Records from December 09th 2022.
Links:
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