Like Satyricon and Thorns? Then you’re bound to like this Polish act, who combine their mechanized brand of black metal with a variety of spacey effects and add-ons.

Maniacal, undulating saxophones, distorted vocal samples and early 80s synth effects are thrown into the black metal mix on “Axis of Diagram.” Some carnivalesque, Arcturus-style menace and electronic ephemera appears on the frenetic “Through Drowsy Daydreams,” which comes off like the sound of a virus destroying your hard drive. And “23 Hands” lays fragmented, squealing riffs atop a stuttery breakbeat structure. Combined with jittery, spoken vocals and the occasional synth snippet, it comes off like black metal hip-hop (or an Ulver remix, take your pick). Vocals throughout are more guttural than your usual black metal rasp or screech, but it never strays into death metal territory.

Overall, this EP was well done and boasts high production values. My main complaint is that it’s also highly derivative, despite the large number of elements at play. It could easily just be a new release from Thorns or Lunaris, not to mention the obvious links to Satyricon‘s sound. (If only recent Satyricon had this much going on. Sigh.) It’s certainly a good starting point, but I’ll be looking for Hesperus Dimension to push their sound – and ideas – even further on their next release.

[Visit the band's website]

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