Hamelin are another reason to follow Belgium’s Post-Metal scene as closely as possible - as proven by this very handsome release from 2019
2019 was a friggin’ mess. It was a coin with two very different sides to the same story – either you focused on the bleak version and said that it was just too many great records to follow them all or you let yourself be blown away by it, trying to catch up with maybe the best year in alternative music for a very long time. Unfortunately, however, both sides include the possibility to overlook great releases, especially at the end of the year. Here it one to catch up with: Hamelin from Mechelen, Belgium.
Here we have a foursome of great musicians with a lot of intuition for seemingly effortlessly creating an atmosphere that leaves the listener either banging his head or simply in awe of their variability. They four all have some experience and a background in the Belgian metal scene, thus writing these incredible songs might have come easy. Presumably they knew what they were doing, questionable if they realized quickly themselves how special this band might be.
Anyone with an ear for blackened post-metal should definitely give these five songs spanning 31 minutes a good listen because the band is able to ride the sharp line between burdensome melancholy and subconscious hope, although different ears might hear different things in the same motif. Take “Thirty Pieces” for example: The song starts off with a bassline that seems right out of Tool’s Lateralus and the guitar quickly glide glisteningly from left to right before a rage collapse buries all of it beneath its crumbling remains. But somewhere after the second chorus (and collapse) the band is able to incorporate a very piano-motif accompanied by an effective semi-acoustic guitar – some people might recognize both as the beacon light of fresh air and hope while others identify it as the last, cold breath towards an eternity of blinding gaze. The organ- and vocal sample-led intro to the next track (“A Lullaby of Conjuring”) also shows how well the four guys can lay out a sonic landscape that takes you on a journey. The track serves as a pivotal point for this EP and is one of the strongest moments in post-metal lately.
Of course, everybody can overlook some records, especially amid such a tsunami of awesome records as 2019 was, but don’t say that nobody told you to give this emotional beast of an EP a listen because rarely has a new band delivered such a grown (and growing) debut going back and forth between joy and despair.
