Hailing from Poland, Hyperial are a five-piece metal band with a taste for eclecticism and a sound that ties in elements of death and black metal with a more electronic, industrial-themed soundscape to forge the missing link between Meshuggah, Fear Factory and Nine inch Nails. The first recordings to see the light of day since 2010’s well-received ‘sceptical visions’ debut, ‘Industry’ is a six-track EP that clocks in neatly at twenty-three minutes and which does a good job of introducing new fans to the band.
Opening track ‘Of concrete and ash age’ does a grand job of setting things in motion, Bocian’s crushing drum attack providing the roaring thunder that underpins the crunchy riffs of Grochu and Kula. It’s a dense, heavy, hypnotic sound that Hyperial trade in, the ethereal keyboard swirls notwithstanding, with elements of cradle of filth, machine head and more flying through the mix even whilst Hyperial do a good job of developing their own progressive metallic assault from their lengthy list of influences. As an opening track it ticks all the right boxes, getting the heart racing and providing the listener with an accurate depiction of what is in store. ‘Rotted society’ is no less impressive, the guitars grinding up against a wall of synth, the latter providing a level of melody that subtly pierces the miasma of metallic noise and makes the tracks memorable without detracting from the power. Next up is the brilliantly titled toxic secretion of being’ which cleverly creates a dichotomy between the tense, paranoid synth of the intro and the searing rage of the guitars that flood into the main body of the track. Fans of Dillinger Escape Plan’s more experimental moments (such as ‘phone home’) will be in their element here, although the payoff is far more intense than Dillinger at their most wilfully esoteric. The title track raises itself out of an industrial mire before transmuting into a death metal stomp with real guts and venom as its calling card – it’s heavy as hell but makes good use of Aneta’s keyboard lines to add depth to the sound. ‘MMXII – MMXXX’ ups the tension with a segue track torn from minds warped by the pseudo-symphonic soundtracks to horror game classics ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Silent Hill’ before charging headlong into closing track ‘the eternal paradise of the illusion’ which gives Cannibal Corpse a good run for their money with scarifying vocals and a devastating guitar assault that does not so much slam into you as tear straight through you.
Overall Hyperial have drunk deep from the well of extreme metal to produce an EP that touches upon a number of familiar reference points without actually sounding like any of those reference points. The keyboards are used sparingly and intelligently, their eerie sound doing much to complement the brutality on display and the overall result is an EP that is cleverly composed and powerfully produced. Currently seeking a label, Hyperial are an act with boundless ambition and their next full-length release cannot arrive to soon if the strength of this EP is anything to go by. This comes highly recommended.
Check out the band’s Facebook page here.
