This was quite a nice surprise. Very recently I got in touch again with Dutch act The Shiva Hypothesis. I wasn’t sure, to be honest, whether these guys were still active. I was truly impressed by their promo-EP from 2015 and their sole official release, 2018’s full-length Ouroboros Stirs. However, as from then on, things went extremely silent.
…until now. Apparently these guys from the Netherlands, i.e. MvS (lead vocals and lyrics), ML (composition-writing, bass guitars, synths, production, mix), BN (drums and percussions), and JB (guitars and co-song-writing), did work on new material. Four (new) songs were recorded and have now been released under the flag of Faustian Restlessness, an EP that clocks about twenty-five minutes and something. This material was pressed on compact-disc, I’ve heard, and is available via the contemporary digital channels too, evidently. And I do not know who took care of the visual artistry, but the cover picture is quite, eh, original (it might be a ‘known’ painting?).
As you probably know, Shiva is a Hindu god, creator of life and death. Destruction and creation are indeed the main conceptual themes for this band. The ‘Shiva Hypothesis’, named after this Hindu god, is also known as a little dystopian theory, where mass extinction on a ‘regular’ base will occur our planet. ‘Coherent catastrophism’ will happen at certain time intervals, with destruction at the one hand, and resurrection / rebirth at the other. But hey, this isn’t a philosophic or scientific essay, so let’s get over to the essence of this review: skull-pulverizing ear-candy for the twisted minds amongst us…
And well, as from the very first moments of this release, this band does not show mercy! Opener The Perilous Journey Of The Soul blasts as from its very beginning. It’s a monstrous ear-attack, delving deep into the stinking mud of blackened fury. Raging drum patterns, sharp-edged six-strings, a hate-spawning throat, ingeniously executed breaks, and an all-devastating energy; it’s just a glimpse of my first (and second, and third, and… You get the picture, I guess) impression. With this starting epic, these guys do offer a monumental aural blast of harsh yet still melodious Black Metal with a universal, timeless approach. Quite the same goes for The Unyielding Flesh and Faustian Recklessness.
The drum parts are just mind-blowing, with unstoppable double bass drums, dynamic skin-molestation, and merciless cymbal-raping. Seriously, BN is a beast, yet one who offers craftsmanship on top of his brutality. The vocals by MvS come with a power that exceeds the ‘average’ screamer without remorse. The timbre is harsher that the ‘traditional’ blackened scream, like a death-grunt sort of ‘translated’ into a black-edged definition. In some tracks, one might experience the diversity of this guy’s lung-puking, with guttural growls (cf. several passages in The Unyielding Flesh), grinding ‘pig squeals’ or clean chants (cf. the title song). And then, a word about the whole string-section (ML + JB), which searches for, and explores, a fine-tuned interplay of harmonious melodies, penetrating solo-work, inventive rhythm-support, and supportive sound-sculpting. Despite a contemporary approach, the balance of tradition and innovation seem to go well, hand in hand, claw in claw. The subtle injection of synths too is a nice addition that lifts those excerpts up to a level of outsider-thinking open-mindedness.
Of excellent level are the changes in structure and tempo. The aforementioned piece The Unyielding Flesh is a perfect example of the diverse, ingenious attitude, with sudden breaks, permanent modifications in speed as in construction, and that previously noticed variety in vocal contribution. As said, the better part varies from ultra-fast over lighting-exploding to thrashing-eruptive, but a few fragments decelerate without ignoring the intensity whatsoever. And what about the majestic, even presumptuously mighty sound-quality… …rough, uncompromising and sharp, yet well-balanced and solid too, adding the whole with a mysterious and esoteric, yet also frenzy touch of liberality.
The last track, Vox Rubetarum, is quite different, for it exists of harmonious choir-like and throaty singing, narrations and whispers, acoustic guitars with a semi-joyful cadence, and the implementation of horn or sax or whatever brass section it might be; there’s even mouth-harp. It’s totally different from the first three war-hymns, but worth mentioning for sure.
A word about the lyrics is appropriate as well, for this recording’s poetry exceeds any known superficiality. The texts are in-depth and well-thought, eloquent in expression, fair in construction, confronting in concept.
Conclusion: impatiently awaiting The Shive Hypothesis’ next effort!!!
https://the-shiva-hypothesis.bandcamp.com/track/faustian-restlessness
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/shiva-hypothesis