Band:	Hardcore Anal Hydrogen
Album:	HyperCut
Style:	Extreme avantgarde metal
Release date:	March 23, 2018
Guest review by:	Ansercanagicus

01. Jean-Pierre
02. Coin Coin
03. La Roche Et Le Rouleau
04. Paul
05. Blue Cuts
06. Charme Oriental
07. Phillip
08. Murdoc
09. Entropie Maximum
10. Sproutch
11. Daube Carotte
12. Automne 1992
13. Bontemmieu
14. Alain, L'homme Télévitré

At its core, Hardcore Anal Hydrogen has always been a hardcore band, mostly blended with groove/thrash and electro, but with a lot of other surprising styles popping up in their mix quite oddly. There's a lot of humour in their act, which can be perceived through stupid song titles and how goofy they can sound. Hypercut is their 4th album and a step forward towards making a big name for themselves.

Their first two albums were rather experimental, unfocused, and noisy and tended to lose one's interest because of inconsistent songwriting. The following album, The Talas Of Satan, tackled those problems, and the band could really showcase what good composers they really are. They worked on being eclectic and surprising without sounding too "random"; therefore, their music is never repetitive and flows very well. They became great at using dynamics and sound texture, and also at managing the musical momentum: songs don't drag and don't feel interrupted too soon. The same pros can be stated about HyperCut.

Now for the differences. It seems that this one is more atmospheric. The different elements of the music are clearly used as materials, and the album is evenly balanced between hardcore moments and experimental instrumentals. So, on one side, we have the overdriven gibberish screams, casual polyrhythms thrown here and there, speedy thrash riffs, helped by breakcore glitches, and hypnotic trance electro, which works totally fine with the slam riffs they also add. On the other side, a mix of electronic textures, acoustic drums or strings, borrowing inspiration from different styles, whether folk from all around the globe, or rock'n'roll, or jazz, or film score... or whatever they like, as stated in their Bandcamp description. I must note that this album particularly stresses jazz, with the piano and flute being two recurring instruments.

And of course, on top of that, a pouring of goofy noises and schizophrenic composition. Well, there's a lot to it... Even though some moments may not be 100% enjoyable, the album stays tantalizing because of the anticipation of what's to happen within the next minutes. You can practically jump anywhere in the album and find something different.

Hardcore Anal Hydrogen is definitely a band to check out if you're into experimental metal, or if you merely want a potent slap in the face (quick example: "Jean-Pierre"). On the contrary, you could also stay for the beautiful instrumentals (quick example: "Philip"). With this album on top of the previous ones they demonstrated their talent and ability to grow fast, so I'm really curious about their next release.