For a second there, upon being taken aback by the speedy aggro beat that opens this album, one could think that black metal has found its chunky self and that it is being manifested through a record released by The End. It sure sounds like it; the raspy vocals for a while work as a distractor -if that word even exists -distracting us from the fact that Hull is by all accounts a sludge post hardcore band, as Metal Archives says so. By our accounts, Hull is more of a sludge post rock band, one that tends to take its time and that on its debut album, Sole Lord, somehow managed to stick out among the herds of aspiring post rockers who idiotic as it may be, work under the belief that to post rock you need only elaborate crescendos that are bound to die.
For a second effort Beyond the Lightless Sky comes off as a sure attempt at shedding all preconceptions. While retaining some of the depth of myriad post rockers, the New York combo sure has moved away from formulaic songwriting and has crafted an album that if, sure, has crescendos aplenty, also focuses heavily on fluent mechanics, really heavy riffage and details only available upon close scrutiny. Post-hardcore mention be gone. They much rather shit with the metalheads.
The album is reportedly a Mayan epic, detailing the misadventures of two brothers who have taken separate paths and the fate that awaits them. That and other details can be found on the cover artwork of Tamara Waite Santibanez. Her work graces the digipack and is delish. Those who are in it purely for the music might not get through the meaning of things just by listening to the vocals of A M Mack. If anything his coarse attitude and delivery are the closest to hardcore Hull can be in 2012. But get to tracks like “Just a Trace of Early Dawn” and justify the soothing quality of the band, the elaborate string arrangements and the soft textures of the music. There is even cello there. Impossible to justify, any mention of hardcore is fucking risible!
Cello and its romantic associations come in handy with the black metal influences that now seep in through Hull’s music. It is not ridiculous because the Brooklynites are obviously not trying to be a black metal band. They are just letting their musical taste dictate some of their art. That’s why in the title track they splice some of their music with blast beats. It is just a bit of it though. And it quickly gives way to awesome angularity and curvy grooves. All making sense at once. It coagulates. Surprisingly, it does.
Official Site
Written by Ignacio Brown
