Hebephrenique – decathexis (Post-Post Black Metal)

 

I’m just going to start by saying this is a rare instance where an album deserves a perfect score. And I kind of figured that from the digging into the self suggested by the cover but damn it to hell I didn’t think Australia’s Hebephrenique would be delivering this kind of craziness. I’m barely able to catch my breath after it. They only had one EP to their name prior to this, their full-length debut, and if we’re starting the career from here, get ready to be left gasping for air because this is a punch that goes past the lungs and deep into the existence. You’re not coming back from this. The only way to compare to Hebephrenique is to become them. Metal may have just met its match.

   

decathexis is probably far beyond what you’re used to, yet Hebephrenique do not remove themselves so far as to become their own archetype. That’s not really possible anymore in anything. But they’re damn close. The real beauty of this album, or, better to say one of the real beautiful things, is the band’s ability to experiment organically. They’re not merely working with previous ideas for the hell of it, they do it in a fashion that’s entirely purposeful. Think of it not as the latest edition of a critical work, but as the sequel, and perhaps the only one that needs to exist thereafter. As a delving into the theme of insanity, Hebephrenique may seem, at times, chaotic, but there’s an intricate precision to their madness that requires finesse to the PhD level. I wish I had this kind of ability by I don’t, and you probably don’t either. So just submit.

 

Hebephrenique Official Instagram

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Hebephrenique – decathexis
Brilliant Emperor Records, Gutter Prince Cabal
Cover Art: Greallach
5 / 5