The best thing about music is the worst thing about music – there’s so much out there to discover and listen to. On my own, I’ll usually fall down the rabbit hole of ‘if you like this artist, then you might like that artist’ or on YouTube, I’ll randomly click on the videos that show up in suggestions despite the algorithm being terrible off.
But what I love the most is when a band or artist reaches out to Amplify the Noise and asks for a chance to be listened to. I imagine with bigger online outfits, they’re probably lost in a sea of requests. With us, if they’re lost, it’s to a sea of spam asking about SEO or if we need an online payment system or would like to see photos. But we always go through the endless spam emails because that’s where gems are often hidden.
That’s where Hetrem was hiding.
The progressive death metal band from Bosnia and Herzegovina released their sophomore album, Monster at Heart in August this year and like the band, it’s a hidden metal gem.
The album is a continuation of 2013’s Human at Sight concept and in the band’s words,
Monster at Heart is the culmination of the band’s meticulous work over the last several years. Through ten songs or almost an hour of music, this album paints a story of the human condition and relations towards external uncontrollable factors that affect our lives individually and that have affected the human collective unconscious throughout the history of civilizations.
What I enjoy about Monster at Heart is the attention to detail. “Into the Heart of the Machine” has intricate nuances in the opening that would change the overall depth of the song if the band had decided to remove or not use the sounds of the machine. There’s also a divine versatility of the band to float from ‘metal’ to ‘acoustic rock’. That versatility shows in the song “The Heredity of Taste”.
The opening bass in “The Spirit” wins my love and is perhaps my favourite track on Monster at Heart. At points I feel as if it’s influenced by Metallica and at others Anthrax. No matter the influence it’s beautifully heavy, tight, and concise and dances on the thin line between metal and thrash with relative ease and delight.
There is no monster at the heart of Hetrem, but there is an abundance of dazzling talent that allows the band to shine and stand out in a sea of black…metal. Monster at Heart is original, superb, and a damn good listen.
Album artwork by Željko Manojlović
MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Gemini”, “Into the Heart of the Machine”, “The Heredity of Taste”, “Kali”, “Of Aether and Matter”
FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Gemini”, “Into the Heart of the Machine”, “The Spirit”, “The Great Beast of the Cosmic Ocean”, “Of Aether and Matter”
