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Hematovore

Ways Of The 8 Footed

(C)1996 Hematovore

Review by Neil St.Laurent

Cassette provided by Hematovore

Normally when one hears that a band is all instrumental you don't think that they could possibly be metal. Hematovore is a heavy, very modern sounding band, who could be called nothing less than metal.

No particular instrument could be called driving, or the backbone to this outfit, but with a couple of everpresent guitars it's hard not to say that the music is based heavily on guitarwork. "Cobain's Brains" opens up the recording with a fast thrash song. "Headlice" then breaks away from the noise side and introduces an assortment of riffs pulling together a very melodic sound, that is quite heavy. "E.Coli" goes another step and plays with some atmosphere, creating a very dark, yet still heavy sound.

The point I'm trying to make here is that Hematovore is a diverse band, to a degree, that has polished a style that includes several others, from thrash to punk to doom or death (of sorts). They remain heavy and intense for most of the recording. Without any vocals they've allowed themselves to venture deeply into various areas of music. A plenitude of riffs come forth from the guitars, often supported by a simple, yet strong, bass. The drum beats are quite abnormal at times, something that helps define the wierd offerings of this band. Adding to the variety are various tempo changes and a placed importance on timing that makes them sound quite technical at times, yet never sounding too laboured.

It's fast, it's slow, it's atmospheric, melodic but sometimes noisy. Creative and original, Hematovore gives themselve little credit, having a "who cares" and somewhat carefree attitude. The music could easily be marked as a very impressive metal release. Wavering between the extreme metals, while finding a few places to introduce clean segments, Hematovore are a great band. Often a problem for instrumental music is that it has a hard time keeping you interested, but I'll assure you that you'll find it hard to ignore this music while it is playing.