Hailing from Denmark, I did assume The Hyle would be named after some legendary beast of Nordic lore; some dark demon that fought the hordes of Asgard. A few online checks and bemused expressions by me later, and I learned in fact that The Hyle “refers to matter or stuff. It can also be the material cause underlying a change in Aristotelian philosophy.” Very deep indeed. However, in this case it refers to a self-titled EP, first released in 2014 as a tape limited to 150 copies, no re-issued as a CD via Dawnbreed Records for those of us who last owned a tape player in their long since scrapped 1988 Ford Fiesta.
From the first slow, deep, plucked guitar chords of ‘Lucifero’ that merge into a bass heavy slogging riff, there is little doubt that you are in for a slice of classic doom, and the band certainly deliver that. Ethereal vocals of occult and magic contrast the heavy beats, the demonic tone of the track being enhanced by the frenzied sound bite of the late, great Patrick Troughton as the harried priest of The Omen lending a classy twist to the now common practice of inserting schlock-horror clips into songs. ‘Serpent King’ continues at the same near funereal pace, but with layers of fuzz added to the mix, as well as a skilled drawn out guitar solo that fades out with the track, disappearing into a wall of feedback that merges into the follow up ‘Spiritual Sacrifice’. Despite being just four tracks long, the EP clocks in at over thirty minutes, the closer ‘Children of the Divine’ being an eight and a half minute tribute to such acts as Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and Electric Wizard, just three of the bands that must surely have influenced the sound of The Hyle, both musically and lyrically.
So, in conclusion, is ‘The Hyle’ something unique and ground breaking? No, not really. Is it a new avante garde evolution of doom? Again, no. Is it bloody good? Ooh yeah. If you were born too late to see classic doom acts in their heyday, rest assured, there are plenty of new and upcoming acts ready to step up to the plate, and The Hyle is one of them.
(8/10 Spenny)
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