After a pretty long dryspell for deathcore, I get 2 releases from Swiss label Tenacity Music- first, the impressive  Swiss bruisers Conjonctive and their female fronted down tuned assault of In the Mouth of the Devil, and this, the second full length album from France’s oddly named Hybrid Sheep, a band I have never heard of before now. And maybe I’m just in a deacthcore mood,  but both t hit me pretty well.

Name aside this is actually pretty good modern, shreddy deathcore/metalcore that has a bit of an All Shall Perish/Despised Icon meets early Black Dahlia Murder flare to it. Its got a some nice shredding solos amid the faster, multiple screams and growls, extremely well produced slicing and breakdown-ing, and is overall very very tight scathing release.

Of course, genre haters will hate it, and frankly it’s a style that’s played out and unoriginal, but I have to say there is a real energy to this release that’s hard to deny. Along with the really strong, modern production/mix/master courtesy of Vladimir Cochet (of Mirrorthrone), who seems to be putting together a solid stable of Swiss mixing master including the aforementioned Conjonctive, Attack Vertical,  Dysrider and Voice of Ruin. Hail to the Beast is pretty non stop, relentless blasts, breakdowns and shreddage.

The only real respite is the instrumental “The Last Breath of A Dying Earth”, which still heavy as fuck, just with a few restrained/ acoustic bridges thrown in. Other wise, from “Warface” to closer “Into the Lions Den”, this thing rips pretty fucking hard, and only the most ardent ‘core’ haters would not be moved by the likes of “Towards Ruin and Oblivion”, “Premature Burial”or more lumbering title track. Only “Harvest of Humans” seems a very slight misstep, with a choppier, more experimental gate and some programming/keys.

As I said earlier, maybe this and the Conjonctive album caught me at the right time where chaotic, ritualistic or claustrophobic materiel like Excommunion, Nightbringer, Dodecahedron, Ulsect and The Ruins of Beverast have clouded my thoughts, and I needed a simple, bruising palette cleanse. Mission accomplished.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments