Artist: Mass Hypnosis
Label: Geenger Records
Released: 2010
Length: 51:13
Rating: 3/5
Mass Hypnosis are Croatian extreme metallers from Zagreb. “Disin4mation” is their studio debut. The quintet sails along on modern approaches that probe how far the extremes of noisy, metallic devastation can go, the kind that could befall any recording studio. They’ve dug in with a blend of metalcore elements, which you’ll notice mostly in some breakneck transitions in the vein of The Black Dhalia Murder or Gojira and a whole host of similar bands, while on the other hand the songwriting also leans on touches of melody that come straight out of the Gothenburg school of death metal. Fans of bands like Soilwork or Mercenary should give it a listen too.
The band formed in 2006, and its members have already racked up a good chunk of mileage in music, honing their chops in Forlorn Legacy, The Rite Of Retaliation and Machine Insufficiency before Mass Hypnosis came along. “Disin4mation” is an ambitiously conceived record. The band has clearly found a productive common language and blown wind into the sails together, pushing the little boat of shared interests toward a single, common goal, with none of the needless meandering that splits over key musical views would cause. That’s why “Disin4mation” is an album of enviable consistency and clearly mapped-out ideas, which the band expresses very convincingly. The idea was to realize an extreme, dark record, a perfect post-apocalyptic vision running on messages of conspiracy, mass manipulation, and controlling the human masses by feeding them one and only truth. In other words, criminal acts by criminals who hold all the public authority to be criminals. They point the finger at criminals, and the masses believe them. For more than two millennia, these representatives of secret lodges and Freemasons have been powering themselves up and feeding on the naivety of the human masses.
The album cover alone sets off all kinds of guessing about what’s hiding on the record. In the right direction. Lovers of Franz Kafka and his work will quickly work out that Gregor Samsa might well be the invisible man living in the sky who knows everything and refuses to tell anyone anything.
The band combines two vocals. Both are brutal, so extreme, naturally. The first is closer to classic death metal growling, the second jumps into the more current “core” screaming. The guitars build a massive wall of heavy, gloomy riffs that stretches across the album and plays a key part in creating its “morbid” feel. There are actually no solos on the album; the band uses harmonically shaped transitional passages, stacked in thirds, of course. The transitions are cut in a modern way. The band “chops” them up especially with active drumming, which uses various combinations of double bass drum work together with never-neglected blast beats. This creates a highly dynamic groove that really carries the album. It’s the guarantee that keeps things interesting with its variable approach. The drums are pushed so far forward in the production that the guitar riffing loses its “ominous” effect. That’s a minor negative note. The massive wall of sound the guitars are supposed to create just doesn’t fully come alive.
The band slipped in a few spoken addresses from various characters between the tracks to further highlight and reinforce the message of the release. Perhaps the most interesting is the “philosophical” comparison of the resilience of a virus and a human by Agent Smith from the movie “Matrix”, brought to life by the voice of actor Hugo Weaving.
All in all, we can place this album in the metalcore genre, but as mentioned, you can feel a strong influence of melodic “Scandi” death metal. Rhythmically, Mass Hypnosis are superbly equipped, and a big part of their hypnosis comes from the exceptional dynamics of a highly animated rhythm line. Disappearing Believers is undoubtedly the album’s technical peak, and it doesn’t lag behind in the quality of its voluminous “groove” atmosphere either. In this track, the metallic grinding of the bass guitar stands out especially (clearly separated in the sound production), giving the mood a special touch of otherness. These guys aren’t reinventing the wheel. Especially not technically. A bunch of newer bands left them behind there long ago. What makes the album special is its otherness, embodied above all in its particular atmosphere. It’s musty and dark in character, tailor-made for the ears of metal sadomasochists. “Disin4mation” is a heavy album and doesn’t belong on the menu of those whose stomachs cramp up at the mere thought of a ride down a slightly bumpy gravel road.
Mass Hypnosis are metalcore butchers who’ve managed to twist the elements of metal music to the point where “Disin4mation” can boast an enticing dose of currency and otherness, and so offers an interesting product for the tasting. Its atmospheric side in particular is worth exploring. In technical terms and in the way it combines motifs, this album is no revolution. But it convinces above all with the feeling it leaves you with after listening, that there’s a band behind it that breathes as one and believes in what it’s creating. That’s why “Disin4mation” carries a clear stamp. The stamp of metal appeal.
“Disin4mation” still has quite a few holes, even though, as the band’s first step, it’s measured out in the right direction. The first is the production, which is worth hoping will upgrade the shape of the riff curtain in the future. This time, unfortunately, that curtain is shoved into the background by the playful, lively drums. Likewise, as the band keeps maturing, we can expect fewer naive solutions and, as a result, greater conviction on future releases.
Lineup
Leo Bolješić – vocals
Jovan Kosta Vučetić – guitar
Mario Tomašković – guitar
Andrea Delišimunović – bass guitar
Matija Novak – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Tamara Dorčić
Stanislav Muškinja
Robert Perica
Ivan Eror
Matija Jelić
Igor Malečić
Production
Igo Meister & Mass Hypnosis
Tracklist
1. Cry Of The Wounded Planet
2. Annuit Coeptis
3. Media Brainwash
4. Shadowed (population under control)
5. Human?
6. Sorrow
7. The God Delusion
8. Blood Boiling Point
9. Divine Parasite (deo favente)
10. Disappearing Believers
11. The Vatican Method
12. My Friends, My Enemies
13. Instinct Over Intellect
