E.P. Review: Hideous Divinity - LV-426
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I must admit that I have always dipped in and out of the death metal scene, and usually always end up listening to Death or Obituary or Cannibal Corpse, I mean, who wouldn’t? But over the last year and from lots of research and several decent chats with fellow metalheads on Twitter, I have discovered a massive number of talented bands out there, Gatecreeper, Necrot and Tomb Mold to name but a few.
So, when the latest offering from Italian death metal heavyweights Hideous Divinity appeared, I was eager to have a listen. 'LV-426' is a three song Alien themed E.P., concentrated on the story of Rebecca “Newt” Jorden, the six-year-old girl rescued on the alien infested planetoid LV-426 by Ellen Ripley.
Unsurprisingly, there is a dark, atmospheric, gloomy opening to the first track 'Acheron, Stream of Woe', before the cacophony of noise kicks in and hits you head on. It feels like a sensory overload, not knowing which part to concentrate on first, the gut-wrenching vocals make you want to run and hide and the intricate musicianship, led by band mastermind Enrico Schettino, pushes the song forward at breakneck speed.
'Chestburst' is just evil, pure evil. The vocals delivered by Di Lorenzo, are frightening evil, the solos are elaborate and bone crushingly evil, the bass is devilishly evil, almost like your sides are being torn apart, and the drumming from Giulio, is evil personified, double bassing the crap out of your senses.
'Delirium Trigger' delivers from the start with a visceral vocal roar. The bass playing from Stefano is excellent, delivering some exceptionally bass heavy riffs to drive the song before a brief mellow piano interlude allows a brief respite before the guitars from Enrico and Riccardo kick in to finish off your shredded body.
Now then, where did I leave my book about Italian death metal...
