When the first 20 seconds of opening track ‘Atavus Lich’ started echoing from my speakers, I knew I was hooked. The expansive, mind-bending, black metal-sludged out battery that Hivelords continue to play out on the remaining thirty-nine minutes and seven seconds isn’t any different.
On the stated 39:07, there are swells of intense emotion dripping from every chord strike, stick swing and vocal howl. The aforementioned ‘Atavus Lich’ carries a heft that most bands wish they could pack into an entire album, let alone one song. ‘Antennae Manifest’ is all knives across your spine, as vocalist Kevin North covers the ground of an entire asylum choir. (If they use that as a song title for the next album, I want royalties. You all saw it here first). ‘Cavern Apothecary’ showcases bassist Tyler Butler and drummer Jason Jenigen’s ability to lock in with one another and truly beat you into submission. Guitarist Will Rollem is no slouch at all, but it’s in his simple and straightforward playing that he sets you up, only to spin you around with his whirlwind riffs.
‘The Growing Overwhelm’ lets the band really spread their wings. The eleven minutes it covers may make that seem like an obvious statement, but I’ve heard plenty of bands not even come close on songs double the length. It’s the anxiety ridden voices mixed with the aired out music that really push the boundaries of what "sludge" or "doom" can be. It’s an eleven minutes that go by too quick. Closing track, ‘The Auraglyph’, fooled me to start, I really expected the entire song to follow how it opened, but it was an ill expectation, and a pleasant surprise. In an age when music has become predictable in its unpredictable-ness, to be caught off guard by music that doesn’t have to switch time signatures and chocked full to the brim with blast beats, Hivelords have created a unique album. And that’s more than enough for me.
You can grab Hivelords' Cavern Apothecary through Anthropic Records, or grab a copy from their merch stand at one of the (many) dates on their current US tour with labelmates, Sadgiqacea. Support bands and artist you enjoy. Go grab this album and but a damn t-shirt.
HAIL!!!
