(Andy Synn offers his two cents on the new album from Texan troubadours Hinayana)
Common consensus would have it that 2023 has been a great year for Death Metal.
And while my thoughts on that assertion are somewhat… complicated… I will say this – if you’re talking about the gloomier, doomier, and more moodily melodic side of Death Metal then you’re definitely right, as the last twelve months has seen a number of illustrious releases from the likes of Aetherian, Fires In The Distance, Foretoken, and more (with a few more to come) which have, when taken together, led to a low-key resurgence of the more epic and euphonic side of the spectrum.
And now we have the new album from Hinayana to add to that list.
There is, obviously, no question that the music on Shatter and Fall continues to pay heavy tribute to the band’s Finnish forefathers, with grandiose closer (not counting the re-recorded “Taken” from their 2014 demo) “A Tide Unturning” even featuring a guest appearance from Wolfheart/Before the Dawn/Black Sun Aeon mastermind Tuomas Saukonen), so if that sort of things is a deal-breaker for you then you might be best looking for your melodic/metallic thrills elsewhere.
But considering that Hinayana have never tried to hide their influences – I’ve seen more than one comment over the years stating that the band sound more like they’re from Tampere than Texas, and with good reason – this feels like an odd thing to try and call them out on now.
Because, and here’s where things get interesting, it’s clear that Hinayana aren’t trying to prove that they’re necessarily better than those bands, both new and old, with whom they share so much, but have instead set out to prove, once and for all, that they belong right alongside them, and deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the very best of their peers and predecessors.
As a result, there’s an undeniable sense of legacy permeating each and every song on Shatter and Fall, with tracks like the gloom-laden, groove-driven “Mind Is A Shadow” and the dynamic “How Many Dreams”, building on everything that has come before them, while adding little refinements of their own, to make it clear that Hinayana are more than worthy of the mantle they’ve adopted.
It’s not enough, however, to simply stand on the shoulders of giants and declare yourself one of them, and the real secret of the band’s success – although, to be clear, it’s not much of a secret – is down to the strength of their songwriting, with the fluid ebb and flow between natural highs and organic lows of songs such as outstanding opener “Slowly Light Collides”, the energetic “Spirit and Matter”, and heroic second-half highlight “Lost Flame”, providing both a captivating and cathartic experience in equal measure.
Not only that, but the more I listen to Shatter and Fall the more I’ve come to appreciate the subtle background work of keyboardist Michael Anstice, whose nuanced and creative approach – while it may lack the instant impact and bombastic boldness of his band-mates, whose own guitar-based gifts and percussive prowess are certainly never in doubt – might just make him the album’s unsung MVP.
And while it certainly has its flaws (“From Our Darkest Moments” adds precisely nothing to the album, and the almost too straightforward strains of “The Answer” never quite rise to the same heights as the rest of the record) there’s no question that Shatter and Fall is an absolute triumph for Hinayana on almost every level, and practically guaranteed to please anyone who demands a little more mood and melody from their Death Metal.