It has been a couple of years now since I first heard Hebosagil, a band from Finland consisting of a bunch of young guys. I somehow stumbled upon their first release, the Cosmic EP (released in 2007) and I was instantly blown away by its sheer heaviness. Songs varying in tempo from more slow doom metal to hardcore/punk metal. All with the heaviest and filthiest bass sound I had ever heard; heavy and deep filthy sludge. Mind you, this was before I discovered the Conan fuzz. The follow up release to this EP was the first full-length album Colossal, released in 2008. This sounded even heavier and filthier than Cosmic. So heavy that I actually have to turn off the ‘bass’ setting on my iPod equalizer and then it still sounds as if my headphones are about to explode. Wondering what I’m talking about do you? Well, just listen to this.
A few split releases and another EP later they released their next full-length Ura in 2011. This release surprised me as it still has that characteristic heaviness to their sound, but on the other hand this filthy bass sound was less filthy, a bit cleaner really, though still heavier and filthier than your average band. Their vocals were more in the front of the mix as well, more clearly understandable. And their overall sound had changed from filthy sludge/doom/hardcore metal to more sludge/hardcore noise-rock.
They now released their latest offering Lähtö and they follow this “new” line started on Ura nicely, with a similar sound, vocals in the front of the mix, very punky up tempo songs, but still sounding heavy and filthy. Although I no longer have to switch off the ‘bass’ setting on my equalizer. Their current sound can probably best be described as “punk sludge ‘n’ roll”.
As said the band is from Finland and I have to give them credits for continuously keeping to their roots as they completely sing in Finnish. Is this putting me off? Not me personally no as I’m not a lyrics person. Some people may find it annoying that they won’t be able to understand what the songs are about though. The album title “Lähtö” translates to “departure”, which I interpret as maybe entering a new era for Hebosagil, as in a major step forward from their old heavy filthy sludge/doom sound.
Musically this is probably Hebosagil’s most accessible album and I hope it opens more doors for them (read: make them come to the UK, preferably Scotland, do some awesome gigs. I need to see these guys live for sure!). Each song still slams you in the face and gets stuck in your brains. Whilst they always made me want to bang my head severely, their new material on this album actually wants me to climb on stage and throw myself into the wildest mosh pit to frantically start moshing and slamming around the place.
If you like your music heavy with plenty of sludge, but also good up tempo punk/hardcore rhythms, then you should jump on the Hebosagil bandwagon. These guys deserve more recognition, as they have been working hard over the last decade producing some phenomenal releases. I really hope the gig promoters from outside Finland will pick up on them and start booking them!
