Hailing from Leeds and London, Hieroglyph are a progressive technical metal six piece who have managed to catch a lot of attention throughout their rise, even nabbing a main stage slot at the established UK Tech-Fest 2015. After much effort spent behind the scenes, the band have finally released their highly anticipated debut album Ouroboros, to which we dive in with a keen ear.
Ouroboros hits the ground running with opening track Solar (The Fool) with a strong wave of technically proficient riffs and melodic lines drawn by vocalists Valentina Soricaro and Mark Howes, elements that seem to retain their strength as the album progresses from track to track. Hieroglyph establish an identity ever present within the songs presented on their album, and whilst their inner workings may stray from continuity at times, such journeys are never so far from the character of the band.
Continuously, the band showcase their knowledge over the importance of keeping the flesh of a full length release rich with variety. Every song breathes a different breath in feel and sound, from the structure to the key signatures. Good usage of dual vocalist melody lines are also showcased, albeit more prominently on tracks such as Crown (The Hierophant) and Jopari (The Chariot). A thirteen minute giant closes the six-piece’s debut, though the track succumbs to a sense of incoherency that rises across a few points throughout the album perhaps a little more than previous. However, the album still crosses the finish line with a very warm invitation to run right back around again for the second play through.
With the release of Ouroboros, Hieroglyph accomplish what many bands who attempt a similar style completely fail to do; wholly embrace the technical progressive metal element and refuse to drop the strength of melody tied within the riffs. These are the elements set to soar to expectation, with time and progression, within their highly bright upcoming career.
7/10
Standout Tracks: Solar (The Fool), Crown (The Hierophant)
For Fans Of: Destiny Potato, Tesseract, Skyharbor
Written by: Andrew Macdonald
