The Pelagic Records label are currently riding on the crest of a wave. It seems their musical spectrum is closely aligned to mine, so I’m always interested to hear new music from them. Philadelphia’s Hiroe (pronounced hero-way), are a new band to me, but their sound isn’t. With a lineage from the great to the average, post rock/metal albums can be hit or miss. So how do Hiroe fair in the scheme of things? You know things are going to be alright when you learn that Spotlights’ Mario Quintero is overseeing production and mixing. Add to that the knowhow of Magnus Lindberg who has credits on Cult of Luna and Russian Circles albums.
The band consisting of Eric Kusangi, Jill Paslier, Brian Kong (all guitars), Jon Seiler (bass) and Dan Sagherian (drums) have followed up their debut album Wrought, with this well polished collection, entitled Wield. The simmering tension of opener ‘The Calm’ has some lovely warm guitar tones and melancholic melodies in the vein of Red Sparowes. ‘Tides’ punches harder with some crunching drums and slow riffs. Some very appealing guitar lines arc with the same finesse of Russian Circles. ‘Collider’ races out of the blocks with some Eddie Van Halen style fretwork. Big sturdy bass grooves fill out the space in the most pleasing way. The track settles into a languid groove with some neat picking and melodies. The dynamics then swing between loud and quiet in a most pleasing way.
Some gorgeous picking ushers in the sombre ‘Dancing at the End Of The World’. These guys clearly spend time working on their tones as the guitars sound superb, whether playing hard or soft. Leaning into a heavier passage the band sound mighty in full swing. Calling a track ‘The Crush’ suggests some hefty riffage is incoming but the track starts with some slightly mathy riffs and tempos before the scathing riffs flow into the mix. Locking into some Pelican style staccato riffs the track builds with volume. Album highlight ‘I’ve Been Waiting For You All Of My Life’ is a triumphant fusion of clean guitars and scuzzy bass. The melodies are strong, and the solos opt for that lovely shimmering tone used so frequently by Explosions In The Sky.
This is an accomplished and well played album from a band clearly in touch with their influences. Albeit the bands they list as influences isn’t completely apparent in their sound, which overall is fairly distinct. This is down to some excellent playing and the shiny production and melodic convention that permeates every track. The recent Pelican album seems to have been warmly received, despite not disrupting their usual sound. Some post rock/metal bands can get derailed by trying new ideas, but if you have the belief and the confidence in what you’re doing, it shows. This is a confident and enjoyable album from a band to watch.
