Review Summary: Press forward relentlessly.
The title of Hippotraktor's latest album is perhaps a bit of an oxymoron. “Stasis” as a concept implies stillness, immutability, and even feelings of being stuck or trapped. From a dictionary's perspective, not great descriptors for most bands out there. But Hippotraktor have invented their own definition of “Stasis” that looks quite a bit different from how Webster imagined it. All too familiar in all the right ways, yet different enough to feel new and refreshing: “Stasis” finds Hippotraktor charging head-first into being one of the best groove metal acts of the current times.
Speaking of definitions though, just what is Hippotracktor's brand of metal? It's a little hard to pin down, to be honest. There are no breakneck tempos filled to the brim with surging riffs and flying fingers; instead, the songs pace themselves at a gentler gait and the groovy riffs are modestly simple overall. Nodding firmly towards half of the band's sister project Psychonaut, there is atmosphere and even some more jazzy breakdowns to be found—but it'd be a stretch to slap the adjective “progressive” onto either of the band's albums. A distinctly tribal feel is present due to extra drums, and there's consistent vocal harmonies between the two vocalists (when they're not providing screams). Stuffing the band into a genre box is just too difficult, as no one descriptor fully encapsulates who Hippotraktor really are. But that's perfectly fine: whatever they may be, they've found their niche and are perfectly happy to thrive in it.
If there were one song to describe the group's sound and embraced upward momentum, it would be the ironically-titled, lengthy opener “Descent.” The band has never been one to pull their punches, and indeed they choose to open the album with the exact combo that they are known for. Crushing chugs mixed with lofty, sensible pullbacks for a breath of fresh air come together to create a catchy push-pull that will immediately hook any listener. This theme will feel familiar throughout the album's entire runtime, but it never wears out its welcome as each song still manages to shine with enough character.
There is a fine line to be walked here: too much ambiance and the heaviness can be lost, too much low string play and the repetitiveness can build up. Hippotracktor navigate this knife's edge perfectly with each composition, giving space when needed and turning the gravity back on later. The balance achieved is blissful to hear, and listening to just one track can quickly morph into listening to the whole album. Beautiful examples include the title track and “The Indifferent Human Eye”—the former which blooms into an incredibly satisfying catharsis by the end of its nearly eight minute runtime, and the latter which surges between soft and loud like plumes of lava churning in a caldera. Even the outro song arises and retires gently on a melancholy guitar motif with plenty of turbulence in between.
Part of this winning combination comes from the precision mixing and mastering work given to the album. Low end wavelengths punch through alongside snappy yet huge-sounding drums and make any song sound gigantic; the deep guitar tones pile on layer after layer of their own heaviness to each riff. And yet ever-present is a current of higher riffs that oscillate like synths in the background, morphing between dissonance and unison drone, adding yet another complexity. Excellent vocal harmonies and powerful shrieks bring completion to the picture, creative a dazzling mosaic of driving metal grooves intersecting with splashes of atmosphere.
One could say that Hippotraktor have not innovated much with their latest offering, instead sticking to what they know and playing it safe by making a “Meridian” 2.0 and embracing the concerning definitions of the album's title. But an object in motion tends to stay in motion, and the outfit are assuredly heading in the right direction. Considering the momentum they are achieving with just two records: if all of their albums are just this damn good, most folks would be quite content with their time in stasis and anything that follows after.
