Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Hiram
Release: 2008
Rating: 5/5
Over the last two or three years, a powerful metal scene has been waking up in Slovenia. The old bands are staying active, and a good number of young bands are joining them. What they all have in common, at least for the most part, is that they regularly put out at least demo recordings, if not proper studio albums. Quite a few of those have come out lately. Slovenian metal proves it isn’t split up by region, because it’s getting strong in every corner of the country, and the coast is striking back too! The Koper-based band Hiram recorded their self-titled debut more than a year ago, but it took a good while for it to get its final shape and a self-released edition.
But now we finally have a proper death/thrash blast from the coast, bringing seven thrash wreckers mixed with death metal and hardcore influences. Thrash served the Hiram way is murderously heavy, raw, dynamic, varied, technically pretty intricate and, above all, original. You can occasionally hear the influence of Testament in their death metal era, as well as guitar harmonies and melodies that could easily be pinned on Swedish death metal. Still, Hiram approach the music as a whole in a complete, effective and uncompromising way. The rhythm section is destructive, mighty and doesn’t overcomplicate things for no reason. The bass lines are colorful and varied, while the kick drum and the transitions create just the right seismic waves. The guitar duo of Damir/Savo is sharp and loud, the riffs are death/thrash and interesting, and the solos are melodic, precisely built and always varied, so every single track has a solo that sticks in your memory with ease. The rhythm and lead guitars weave together nicely, the guitar patterns constantly complement and intertwine with each other extremely well, and in two tracks acoustic guitars add even more variety. The songs are sped up and aggressive from start to finish, yet they’re built from different tempos, time signatures and rhythms, so despite the brutal beating you can easily tell each track apart, and you won’t find repetition or monotony on Hiram even as a sample. Soaring above this already spectacular instrumental picture is Jan’s brutal, raw growl, which sounds like a rabid dog, yet he delivers extreme dynamics with death metal growls, screams, effective spoken parts and even better clean singing. Last but not least, the excellent lyrics deserve big praise. They’re all written in Slovenian and are living proof that our mother tongue can sound seriously intense and melodic too.
Sadly, Hiram’s charismatic vocalist Jan recently left the band, and he’s already been replaced by Aleš (Roota ‘Baloota). Even though Jan leaves a big mark on the debut, there’s no doubt Hiram will keep going down their path of destructive, spectacular and epic death/thrash metal.
Lineup
Jan Urbanc – vocals
Damir Mešič – guitar
Luka Bašič – drums
Matjaž Karlovčec – bass
Savo Kralj – guitar
Production
Jan Urbanc & Hiram
Tracklist
1. Prvi brat
2. V.D.K.
3. Vdihni zver
4. Crni
5. Davidova prisega
6. Potnik
7. Hidra II
