Artist: Hackneyed
Title: “Death Prevails”
Label: Metal Mind Productions
Release Date: 5/15/15
Genre: Extreme Death Metal
Rating: 3.5/5
Originally released in 2008 on Nuclear Blast Records, the debut album by Hackneyed was recently re-issued by Metal Mind Productions. The album now comes in a Digipak holder and features no additional tracks, so with that being the case my original thoughts on it remain the same. I have restated those views in the review that follows. The edition is limited to 2000 copies so diehards might want to act fast if interested in purchasing
When I began my listen for the debut by Germany’s Hackneyed I had to admit that I felt as though I was listening to something new by the legendary yet imaginary Dethklok because it had the same drive to it in the musical sense and the lyrical content and vocals came off a very similar to that project. It took me a few more turns to realize that this was some pretty intense stuff and that it was serving up all the proper reverence to the Death Metal giants of the past and when it came down to it the guys were showing that they really knew how to play and must have been at this for many years before snaring their recording deal. It was after this musing that I realized that the band was dealing with an average age of 16 and from there I was rather impressed with their delivering and overall intensity. Extreme Death Metal is an art form no matter what you think of it and its execution is not as easy as one might think so when the lightning fast riffs that we find on it are complimented by drumming that is just as fast then you know you are dealing with something rather special. Their Nuclear Blast Records debut is called “Death Prevails” and the cover sports a rather cool looking Grim Reaper who would serve as a great stage mascot ala Eddie from Iron Maiden and the nine tracks serve well as an introduction to a band that really holds some promise for the genre.
Clearly their young ages do not do them a disservice and instead show them as musicians who have been paying attention to the legends of Extreme Death Metal before them. I felt some riffs and feels called to mind the work of Decapitated or Behemoth in terms of the musical structure but lyrically they had more in common with the likes of Cannibal Corpse. Just look at the words for “Gut Candy” and “Ravenous” if you need more proof. Though much of the release seems to deal with murder and cannibalism, two topics that have been done to death in the genre, there are some exceptional pieces to be found here. I liked the difference of “Neon Sun” which seemed to bring up the aspect of the end of the world and “Worlds Collide” since that one had a lot of Old School Metal vibe to it. My favorite track of them all was “Symphony Of Death” since there was a little bit of everything in it and showed the guys as more than a one-trick pony. As mentioned we get the lyrics in the booklet and it serves up photos of the young lads as well and while some of the content might seem juvenile when compared to bands who have been at it far longer, remember these guys are young and pushing out of the gates with some aggression that I am sure time will find them honing to perfection as the years go on.
The band roster is Phil (vocals), Tim (drums), Devin (guitar), iX (guitar) and Alex (bass) and despite their name Hackneyed being defined as “lacking originality” or “trite” the guys sure seem to be proving that youth is not wasted on the young in terms of Metal music and its proliferation into the future. Check this one out to see what the new breed of Death Metal sounds like.
Track Listing:
1. Unseen Enemy
2. Gut Candy
3. Ravenous
4. Axe Splatter
5. Neon Sun
6. World’s Collide
7. Symphony Of Death
8. Bone Grinder
9. Again
Official Website: http://www.hackneyed.de