Simultaneously paying homage to the more melodic end of Seattle’s grunge scene and the strands of classic rock inspired scenes which were evolving into any number of post-, alt- and nu- subsets around the same time, Hurt revels in a big, powerful and muscle bound sound. But it is much more than just another homage to rocks past. Whilst it flits through and flirts with everything from Zeppelin-esque grandeur to New Wave of British Heavy Metal guitar motifs to Nu-Metal’s dark and edgy sonic world, it also offers a glimpse of rocks future. Or one possible one at least.
It is interesting that one track can reference so many past glories yet keep them all enough at arms length to allow room for new ideas to burst forth at the same time. Hurt is a blend of the cold, doom-laden edge of Danzig’s dystopian blues-metal and the emotive, sonic drama of Staind, but with more than a nod to the likes of Soundgarden and built as much on an intangible weight as the power of the musical delivery itself. Post-grunge? Is that a thing yet?
No Comments