hydrogyn – deadly passions (2008)

note this name down if you’re in the mood for some heavy-oriented, solid hard rock. so was i about an hour ago (yeah, that does happen from time to time), and as this (good) music played, i began wondering, why not to pay these guys their due?
deadly passions is hydrogyn‘s sophomore release. all i need to tell you about them is that they’re a four-men-and-a-chick combo hailing from the US, and they do know the tricks of their trade. further bio details would be out of place here. what you really need to know is, they’re a very nice choice if you’re thinking of letting some good hard rock shake up your player. heavy, fast (not furiously), easy-listening and definitely not demanding in terms of attention – hydrogyn’s music is pretty simple, and although it has nothing impressive or very original, it comes as a breath of fresh air if you usually listen to more complex stuff.
although i enjoy this kind of music, i’m not a huge fan of the likes, so there might just be better in the genre out there. all i know is when i’m in the mood for blasty rhythms and gruffy but melodic vocals (well yeah, or i’d be reviewing some arch enemy‘s), hydrogyn is always a nice pick.
the cheesier pieces are almost completely left out (a partial exception being the closing track’s first half, and the balladesque “over u”), which is not bad, given what you should expect as you put this album on. the choruses are quite catchy, the songs are short enough to provide some variation throughout the album, and though it’s hard to really speak of “high peaks”, you may as well find your own highlights on deadly passions.
mine will have to be the title track, “seroquil”, and the second half of the closing “shadow” – a song which is actually made up of two very different sections, hence this difference. there’s no particular reason why i’d pick these, nor why they should meet also your preferences. one thing’s for sure: if you like one song, you’re gonna like them all. it’s not even possible to dub the album as one of those “hate it or love it” things: it’s really just about the mood you’re in. if you’re up for something grand and brainy, move on. but if/when you wanna let your mind wander on imaginary highways and whatever rocky cliches you can think of – then deadly passions will serve as a good background music.
some might even find their sound a bit too “polished”, but i don’t see how that would be a downside. so just forget about the previous line and go get hydrogyn for your next mind ride on rocky roads.

thus spake the cennsor: 7/10

harsk – promise of a brave new world (2008)

i don’t usually do demos. so guess why this one landed here? to everyone’s big surprise, yes, because it was worth it.
one positive note about promise of a brave new world (and perhaps the most striking one) is without doubt the singer’s voice (rarely this steady at such a young stage of a band), staying quite harsh from beginning to end, thus fitting perfectly the band’s hard rock/heavy metal proposal. secondly, and about as important, none of the instruments ever overshadows the others. through that, harsk are able to keep the sound clean and very melodic throughout the whole recording.
the starting couple, “fight the beast” and the title track, are the heavy pair of the lot, soon giving way to a tightening and darkening of the sound. “end of me” has actually a double-faced structure, fading from a ballad-esque approach into faster tempos and a much darker atmosphere. “lazarus” brings in some even dimmer atmosphere, yet strongly supported by melody — thus staying away from any possible doomy inclination.
a videoclip of “promise of a brave new world” is also featured on the demo. it’s obviously nothing mind-blowing, being self-produced, but you can tell the guys have taken it all pretty seriously from the fact a professional hand clearly lies behind it.
harsk (“rancid” in norwegian) couldn’t be farther from playing stale. they’re good, skillful enough to play with confidence and quite a high degree of personality, but also down-to-earth enough not to let mere technicality prevail. their songwriting is clean, catchy enough to make an impression, and so is the mixing, resulting in an overall fresh and convincing sound.
to kind of close the circle, let me insist that these guys are worth a listen. it’s not that often that you come across an exception (especially in the AOR/prog area) to the it-feels-like-i-heard-this-a-thousand-times-before rule. you can find out yourself at the band’s official site, as they’ve made the demo available for download. a rare form of generosity you won’t regret taking advantage of.

thus spake the cennsor: 7/10