Hieroglyph are a progressive metal band based in Leeds and London. They have received a wave of positive feedback since releasing debut EP, Freefall in 2014. The band are continuing to make waves as they play Techabilitation, an event curated by Tech Fest at the New Cross Inn in London. The band will also release their debut album, Ouroboros later this month. The album title is an interesting concept, because it comes from an ancient symbol of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The album itself is based on the 11 different tarot cards, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can push themselves out to a bigger audience in the metal scene.
What sets Hieroglyph apart is their influence of heavier bands such as Sikth and Meshuggah, which help bring a gnarly edge to their music. The dual vocal pairing of Mark Howes’ roaring screams, and Valentina Reptile’s softer angelic vocals mesh brilliantly with the heavy riffs. ‘Solar (The Fool)’ is a strong start to the album, sounding like a hybrid between Nightwish and Tesseract. Howes screaming, “Never look back, never look down,” adds to the atmospheric riffs. The band also incorporate breakdowns in ‘Samsara (The Wheel of Fortune)’, adding to the earth shattering grooves in the track. This shows they are able to broaden their horizons and gain a bigger audience.
On the epic ‘Rise and Fall (Strength)’; Reptile’s soaring vocals work brilliantly alongside the crushing guitars of Sam Butterfield and Richard Barnes .‘Jopari (The Chariot)’ is another progressive metal epic. The massive guitars form a wall of noise, however some of the screams lack passion and don’t work.
As the album progresses, it’s clear Hieroglyph have balanced their melodic side and crushing palm-muted aggression well. ‘Starlight (The High Priestess)’ brings things down, the double kick drums feel out of place, but the title track is a near 14-minute epic. There’s a lot going on, including some addictive riffs along with a calming piano. The track is constructed nicely, with two beautiful guitar solos, and a combination of all the elements they use in the album, leading to a perfect climax.
A debut album as a concept is a bold move, however Hieroglyph have mastered this, with an array of influences to create a huge soundscape that should gain them more recognition in the future.
Words by Ermis Madikopoulos