Hexis : "Tando Ashanti"

If you were to ask me who is the heaviest band out today I might point you in the direction of this band from Denmark. Heavy is more than low tuning, thick gain and how fast you strike the strings. It' is about the sonic tensity stirred and the feelings driving how you attack your instrument. Once again genres collides. "Ashanti" feels more like blackened death metal. With raw curdled vocals that are more grind-core. It slows into more of a sludge like dirge, showing these guys can pretty effectively handle both ends of the heavy spectrum. Production the album doesn't sound as dense as the one before it. There is more of  experimental wildness to what they do on this one.

Digging into further into their outbursts of song. The pace becomes more explosive on "Molestus". It becomes very clear in case you forgot what kind of bestial creation is sitting on the drum throne for these guys. "Ritualis" might be more sonic and dense than "Molestus" but is not as solid of a song.  "Calamitas" is more grind-core in length and the fury espoused. The go into spastic blast beats with more of a punk feel to it than black metal here. It does find it's groove. "Nocturnus" starts off with a dark jangling current of noisy guitar that washes out into the drum that come in with a more black metal blur. It does break down into moodier moments which I think are the albums stronger points.  The problem with the pacing is by the time we get to "Opacus" things are starting to run together for me. There is one riff that kind holds everything together, but how the golden rule here...Cool riff alone do no make a good song, stands to be questioned.

The vocals don't feel as varied to me. They seem to be one static scream, where I seem to recall some lower growls on the previous album. There is a pretty intense sonic opening to "Cordolium" the pace is more deliberate and this helps there cause though the song is woven from the same colors that have dripped from the bulk of the album. "Resurrection" feels more like the middle section to another song and the first time I played it through that is what it felt like to me. On it's on there is a few snare hts and cymbal mainly the screamed title of the song chanted to feedback. Much like what you expect from them the blasts of songs are to explosive to keep contained in some sprawling drone so the songs are mainly 2:30. "Septem" is as aggressive as in your face as you could ask for, but is works off the one dynamic.

If you hadn't been beaten into submission by the time they end the album on "Presagium". I really like the darker undertones to this song and latch onto the other moments like this. It's hard to imagine it but I think this album is more organic and sonic than their first full length "Abalam". I'll round this up to a 9 and see how it sits with me. The few listens I have given it thus far makes it one of those albums I can just leave on and let play, but how much longevity I get is another matter.