Metal Underground.com

Hypno5e’s first full-length release holds little back. From the first track “Maintained Relevance of Destruction Pt I,” the French foursome of Emmanuel Jessua, Jeremie Lautier, Gredin, and Thibault Lamy launch an assault of pounding syncopation, discordant guitars, and enough bass to make Overkill jealous. The sound is a smart and controlled torrent of hardcore, death metal, electronica, and dark oppressive ambience funneled into an auditory attack that will envelope the listener.

The two-part “Maintained Relevance of Destruction” suite flows somewhere between the oceans of Opeth-like clean passages, the maniacal grounds of The Mars Volta, and the syncopated breakdown-laden waters of Whitechapel, while still maintaining the stamina of Mastodon. Over the course of just these two tracks the listener is absorbed into a magma of heavy metal and may wonder just how long the band could keep this up without being monotonous or overly weird. From breakdowns behind classical female vocals to gut-wrenching screams and syncopation, the band covers more ground than Rambo ripping through a jungle. Tracks like “Daybreak at Slaughter-House,” “H492053,” and “The Hole” will quickly quell any doubts about endurance.

In the early minutes of “Daybreak at Slaughter-House” there is a beautiful acoustic passage leading up to a stompfest of a breakdown sure to get the listener head banging. It’s followed by a gritty and biting discordant guitar melody and subsides into clean guitar for another verse. This is the typical pace of the tracks, and the band maintains this very carefully in order to make the high-energy parts bolder and the clean parts drearier, altogether making for a frightfully engulfing listen. One will notice interspersed spoken-word passages throughout the album, as Hypno5e have taken it upon themselves to mix in video concept with the music. At times, this works to great effect like in “Tutuguri,” where the movie clippings and spoken-word enhance the eerie blend of music styles and contribute a frightful flow to the madness.

The production on the album is top-notch, with more bass than you’ve probably ever heard on a recording. “Des Deux L’une Est L’autre” is unbelievably heavy and comes with fangs bared. Be prepared for a surrealistic venture through several genres of haunting ass-kickings, because this is an album meant to frighten, impress, and envelope the listener.