Hellveto - Neoheresy Review
by Matt Hensch
.
I guess I'll be the polar bear and break the ice by saying I've never experienced Hellveto before in any fashion, but I do know "Neoheresy" is like a cell in Hellveto's ever-growing body of new records and releases that morphs and splits so frequently that Corey Taylor's brain works slower (not saying much) than L.O.N's ability to force out new material every time I wake up, it seems. Here's some prerequisite information: Hellveto is a pagan/orchestral metal band seeding itself with folk sections and orchestral influences among the project's abnormal function, equating the genetics of "Neoheresy." Apparently this is new for the band, but I have no previous experience with Hellveto, so it's all new territory for me regardless of whatever occurs. Overall, I can see the album is very different, quite poetic, beyond my expected standards, and a good listen for many reasons. Although Hellveto's particular identity is certainly a little difficult to digest at helm, the expressive cleverness and sheer might of L.O.N's untraditional aesthetics radiate with a perfect supernova of epic landscapes meeting dusky skies through an infinite journey of sorrow and gloom. Like that sentence? If not, "Neoheresy" is probably not for you.So taking this from a newcomer's observation, I'll state the obvious: Hellveto's sound is anything but predictable. Right as the opening seconds of "Taran" engage, a chromatic explosion of mid-paced riffing and talismanic keyboards cycle in a strange aura of orchestral strings, folk instrumentals, and other highly-experimental ideas, while L.O.N.'s traditional features barrage this bizarre invasion with harsh shrieks and raw, pounding percussion. There's no need to assume this idea is the sole identity of "Neoheresy," however, because Hellveto's exploration into balancing these ideas throughout different songs and sections makes an already-flourishing nature something so unique and kaleidoscopic that the project's craftsmanship stands in a league of its own. It all may sound weird or a trifle pretentious, but Hellveto has the ground covered entirely and with a surplus of never-ending brilliance. My top quality of this record though is the complexity of it all. I don't see the tracks necessarily as songs, but diverse, wild musical pieces that absorb, reach, and reflect the quality and layered madness found in L.O.N's deeply constructed world, which somehow flow magnificently. Within this great soundtrack of pagan-themed atmosphere, however, there are some awesome riffs pumping out melody or gigantic heaviness without a shred of mediocrity or anything remotely negative at the standard fault line, which you won't easily find in something as complex as Hellveto. The production is actually very crisp and lively despite Hellveto's disposition toward the raw and rare, yet the clear sound quality is exactly what a blueprint like "Neoheresy" needs; it's widely vibrant, and exploring each of L.O.N's instrumental puppets through galloping storms and folk-based adventures. Unique, sophisticated, evolutionary, potent, dynamic...all are words that properly describe the world of Hellveto's "Neoheresy." It really makes me wonder why Hellveto in general is so obscure despite such a riveting journey of unmatchable substance, but whatever the reason for Hellveto's shadow still being kept in the dark, "Neoheresy" is a bash of material definitely worth the strain of currency, despite it being sandwiched between a shipload of other releases, which are large, plentiful, and seemingly a time-absorbent of magic which is probably enthralling. It's your loss if you don't give this a spin.
CD Info and Links
Hellveto - Neoheresy Rating:9.1
Preview and Purchase This CD Online
Visit the official homepage
More articles for this artist
tell a friend about this review
.
...end |