The members of Hashbreath are in their early twenties and hail from Sweden. Their four-song demo, "Hypnotic Voodoo Rhythm", is a strong representation of the band's musical firepower. Make no mistake - this is a muscular, unpretentious outfit aiming to overwhelm the listener in every song. It isn't any slight to say that what they shore up what's lacking in instrumental and composition prowess with a palpable enthusiasm running through the demo's entirety. This band has a wealth of compelling musical ideas to draw from and, occasionally, stumble when the songs seem a little cluttered. If this is a failure, however, it is a noble one and, certainly, far from fatal.
The opening track, "The Big Chill", has a number of strengths apparent on first listen. The cohesion they display as a musical unit is impressive for even seasoned professionals. On first listen, the vocals didn't excite me much. I will concede a preference for clean singing, but long ago realized that this sort of singing isn't about the lyrical content. It is deeply theatrical and every bit as much of an instrument as the accompanying guitars, bass, and drums. Nor is it tuneless shrieking. Though the lyrics are indecipherable to my ears, the shrieking invokes terrified, nail-cracking desperation in a vivid, visceral way. This is the result of the music working together with the vocal to form a larger whole. This is an excellent choice for the opener. Clocking in at a little over four minutes, it has strong focus and never overextends itself.
"Hashbreath" kicks off with a surprisingly bluesy crawl. The vocals are clearer here than the first song and the shrieking retains its sharp emotive edge. Everything musical is high quality, but the band marches through three different sections within the song's first three minutes. Sometimes the variations from section to section aren't drastic, but they are notable shifts in the music and betray their inexperience. In the interests of fairness, you can argue this phenomenon is the sign of an exciting, creatively restless band. All bands should have so many good musical ideas and significant parts of this song prove that the band is well on their way to learning what will work, how to arrange it, and what to leave out. I will say that the song's second half, specifically its surprising feedback drenched interlude, is the track's strongest suit.
The swaggering, vaguely bluesy riff driving the largest part of "Goosebuds" is one of the song's highlights. Another intangible Hashbreath has is the authoritative confidence to take a strong riff like this and play it with unblinking, fully committed confidence. This is another tightly focused effort that doesn't attempt to clutter the song with too many ideas. The lead guitar work compliments the song well.
"Black Voodoo Drug Lord", the demo's closing song, is by far the longest of the four and runs nearly ten minutes. I appreciate the wealth of ideas they bring to the song and the determination to create an epic number invoking the power of similar efforts in the genre. However, this is too long. One reviewer's belief, sure, but extended pieces need a number of compelling ideas to keep them afloat. not merely a watch. The band is content to milk, with assorted variations, the same primary riff for entirely too long and, without discernible lyric content, the experience can be a little tedious. It is only when the song approaches its conclusion that the tempo makes a clear adjustment and finishes the song on a rousing note.
This is an enormously promising demo and shows a band that is passionate about music, brimming over with energy, and certain to grow as musicians. Keep an eye out for Hashbreath in the future and enjoy this now.
Words: J. Hillenburg
Hashbreath @ Facebook