A massive three-track EP release from The Small Hours delivers a vast and gothic toned cross of melodic, death, black, and progressive metal all rolled up into one experience that comes through in three separate acts and this is quite an experience if you listen to it from beginning to end.
The Quimera EP takes you through these three different Acts in stages and as the record unfolds and progresses you get expansive guitar tones, trudging riffs, grueling vocals, and melodic sections that add depth to the music along with some surprises around the corners and levels of intensity that rise and come back down only to explode again.
The guitar work on this record is especially impressive as you have different layers and different tones that sit atop each other, and the songs break into these passive sections that bring on a more haunting feel before hitting those ultra heavy drops that come through with that massive sonic drive and intensity.
This release boasts such a semblance to doom metal, and do you have guitar sections that float through the ethers of the songs and create those vast atmospheres with each one.
Along with the brilliant guitar work is crazy drumming that really cuts through everything in terms of the mix. Those kick drums are thriving and the drums as a whole really gives this record that drive to push through to a level that hits as hard as it can.
This has a really particular way of engulfing you and letting you get washed away with all the soundscapes of it. It's not just one kind of metal as I mentioned earlier. It breeds this outstanding combination of metal subgenres and approaches that lets the record feel super orchestrated giving it an almost cinematic tone at times.
Again, I can't express enough that you need to listen to this record in full. Between the three acts of unreal metal approaches and listening to the record in full is the only way to get the full spectrum of what it has to offer plus, it's the way you're supposed to listen to it because these acts connect together and that is really the point of the record.
The whole thing is an escape and an experience more than just a record but for real metal fans this has a lot to offer.
The riffs are rumbling, and the record has a fire and fierceness behind it that bears clenched fists and boasts storytelling and its underbelly so when you put this record on, I would suggest doing it with headphones on because it's one of the best ways to listen to it and soak everything in the way it was meant to be.
The bass guitar tone is massive here as well and doesn't only bring on a fat and thick low end, but also adds to the intensity and drive of the entire thing.
One of my favorite aspects about this record is the vocals because they have different approaches throughout the record and fall into character as each song opens up.
The thrashing death metal parts have fierce vocals while the vast and melodic parts also have more melodic vocals that feel distant as they are dipped in reverb effect and have a way of adding a certain kind of depth to the sound of the record.
There certainly a lot going on with this record and it's not just your standard metal release.
This is for people who actually want to get wrapped up and engulfed in a metal record and experience the unfolding of these acts.
There is that theatrical tonality that exists throughout all three songs and the interconnection between them is evident.
All in all, this was not only intense, but it has a certain kind of gracefulness and its edgy tonality and approaches, so it hits hard but it also has this sort of bigger and deeper aspect to its entire soundscape.
There are layers to this record and it's really fun to let them unfold.
Take a deep dive into this one and remember where you heard it first.
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