Review Summary: Blackened hardcore verbatim
Hexis are a five-piece from Denmark. They play blackened hardcore with an emphasis on blackened. They play it well. But unfortunately, despite the solid execution, the music struggles to stand out, even from itself. Tracks tend to bleed into one another, separated typically only by feedback. Tremolo picking and blast beats and raspy screams form the basis for the whole album and that foundation is never deviated from. And while the whole wall of sound they craft can be loud and impressive, it kind of wears thin.
The lack of variation is hugely apparent upon repeated listens, especially among the shorter songs. The longer songs fair better, with 'Crux', the longest on the album, standing well above the others as their best. It may simply be because of its length that it hooks interest so much more. The natural dynamics that form when they build the song over a period of 6 minutes instead of 1 to 3 help alleviate the feeling that you're hearing the same components just being rearranged every song. 'Septus' too breaks from the homogeneity, with added length again aiding in a more memorable song. The single instance of clean guitar here is also worth note.
Production is crisp and loud. Every instrument sounds excellent and the vocals, while remaining in the same raspy black metal range throughout, are effective. In no way are the songs bad here, its just the good ideas they have may be lost to a lack of dynamics and a lack of duration. With their next full length coming out soon, hopefully Hexis can correct some of these woes and craft a much more memorable album.
