Hacride – Back To Where You’ve Never Been

 

 

Band: Hacride
Album: Back To Where You’ve Never Been
Record Label: Indie Recordings
Release Date:  22nd April 2013
Reviewed By: Rich

 

Track Listing:
1. Introversion
2. Strive Ever To More
3. Synesthesia
4. Overcome
5. Edification Of The Fall
6. To Numb The Pain
7. Ghosts Of The Modern World
8. Requiem For A Lullaby

 

For Fans of: Gojira, Porcupine Tree, No Made Sense

Tracks to check out: Introversion, Ghosts Of The Modern World

 

I’m a huge fan of Gojira but, I’ll be honest, their albums are pretty much all I know about French metal.  So when All About The Rock received a copy of Back To Where You’ve Never Been from French metallers Hacride, I jumped at the chance to review it.

And boy am I glad I did. This is an album of beautifully progressive heavy music, with real depth and intelligence to it. In places it is punishing and hostile and in others is melodic and enchanting, with the tracks switching effortlessly from epic melodies of crunching guitar riffs to breathtakingly haunting soundscapes.

First track ‘Introversion’ starts slowly, with some fantastic synth work as the tone and urgency gradually gains momentum, before stepping up several gears just before the 3 minute mark into a full speed audio assault of aggressive pounding, riffing, and screaming vocals.  It sets the tone perfectly for the album.

‘Strive Ever To More’ is in your face from the very start, but still has moments of soaring and uplifting prog-rock.  ‘Edification of the Fall’ has a darker industrial sound to it, with the sort of guitar and keyboard sounds that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Front Line Assembly album.  ‘Ghosts of the Modern World’ is another massive sonic onslaught that breaks things up with moments of more mellow progressive sounding guitar work, and ‘Requiem For A Lullaby’ is the perfect downbeat ending to the album, with its sad and doomy undertones.

Hacride have been around for more than ten years, but this, their 5th release, is their first album with new vocalist Luiss Roux.  I’m sure it won’t be the last – his vocals are varied in style and intensity and perfectly accompany the music whether it’s heavy and angry, or softer and more uplifting. Adrien Grousset (guitar), Benoist Danneville (bass), and Florent Marcadet (drums) all play very skilfully, but never overdo it or show off.

This is an album of crafted excellence – successfully mixing extreme metal with ambient soundscapes, and with technical riffs and odd time signatures that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Porcupine Tree album.  In fact, if Porcupine Tree released an album of death metal, I’m pretty sure Back To Where You’ve Never Been is what it would sound like.

Back To Where You’ve Never Been is an amazing album and Hacride deserve to be huge.  Do yourself a favour, and check this out now.

 

Score – 9 out of 10

Readers album score: {extravote 1}