Hymn Above Traumatic Emotion - The Opening Of HATE (2013) (8/10)

HYMN ABOVE TRAUMATIC EMOTION is a brand new Japanese Melodic Death Metal band with a few evident Metalcore influences. The band just released its first EP entitled gThe Opening Of HATEh which consists of three songs that have a total running time of a little bit more then eleven minutes.

Despite this short release, the band already impressed me because they manage to mix a dark and dramatic atmosphere with a technically impressive instrumental work. Fast and pitiless riffs meet catchy choruses and gripping hooks. All three songs have a darker but also a quite catchy side. Despite its title, there is definitely not only hate or darkness in here but emotions of almost all kinds in some kind of a dark fantasy world. There is a lot of hit potential in this. The balance between beauty and brutality is quite perfect in all three songs.

The most intriguing things are the vocals. The main vocalist varies from Death Metal growls over unchained screams and shrieks to a more melodic attitude in a few seconds only and stands out with an entertaining diversity and a surprising technical talent. In two tracks one can also hear melodic female vocals. In comparison to many female Japanese singers with amusingly childish or rather thin vocals, the performance on hear has this special Japanese intonation but never sounds inappropriate. The female vocals sound surprisingly grounded and powerful. They harmonize well with the brutal male vocals and create an almost cinematically driven conceptual contrast.

In the end, fans of Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore should definitely keep an eye on this promising newcomer band from the Far East. Imagine a mixture of DIR EN GREY and SOILWORK with a few female vocals. If this combination intrigues you as much as me, HYMN ABOVE TRAUMATIC EMOTION is a band you should not miss.    

(Online June 11, 2013)