Release Date: December 13th 2024. Record Label: Inverse Records. Formats: CD/DD
Hope Is A Lie - Track Listing:
1.Pure 07:00
2.End of Days 06:57
3.Suits (feat. Amber Shadows) 07:25
4.Dance 06:36
5.Shadow 07:58
6.Into the Flames 05:19
7.Rot 09:20
Members
Markus Alavire: Vocals, guitars, bass, programming & keyboards
Lasse Girs: Vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Tuomo Heiti: Drums.
Review
Doom/Post-Metallers Hope Is A Lie release their self-titled album and the aggressive charge maybe familiar to long term admirers of the modern day Post-Metal scene, the band stand out from the crowd by adding brooding moments of Industrial, Sludge and Grunge. The sound is bounded by a pitch-black creative outlook with Hope Is A Lie adding moments of Progressive Sludge melodies. The vocals are a mixture of clean vocals, harsh growls and blackened doom vocals for a record that’s not afraid to move further into the bleakest and aggressive levels of Post-Metal.
The record sees Hope Is A Lie drawing upon sounds from bands such as Neurosis, Amenra, Absent In Body, SUMAC, Russian Circles, Pelican and the grungy vibes of Alice In Chains. This brooding cocktail of Prog Metal, Extreme Metal and Grunge is a winning combination that results with an unforgiving modern style that’s captured through delicate levels of Ambient, Psych Rock and Post-Rock. The opening tracks of Pure and End Of Days feels like Alice In Chains transforming into a heavier Post-Black Metal band with subtle soundbytes adding to the overall story of the album.
There’s a lot to get through on this album with Hope Is A Lie roaming endlessly between the backdrop of underground Sludge/Post-Metal sounds and the more refreshing commercial Grunge and Metal aspects that are uncompromising and unapologetic at the same time. The lyrics are fuelled by tales of grief, emotion, despair and a foreboding apocalyptic attitude. It’s this daring narrative which allows Hope Is A Lie to exceed on their own creative merits and providing the listener with a shit-ton of epic sludgy violent grooves and uplifting psychedelic beats despite the nihilistic lyrics that take centre stage at times.
Other standout tracks include Suits, Shadow, Into The Flames and Rot.
Sometimes you don’t know what type of music that the band will project into your subconscious and that allows this to be quite a daring and downright scary record at times whilst still offering classic sounds from the modern day Post-Metal scene to fully immerse yourselves with.
Hope Is A Lie’s debut album offers intense sounding grooves and melodic passages throughout with sublime production values only adding to the beautiful heaviness of the crazed world they have created and crafted here.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
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