H*re – Siostry Wiedzmy Review

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Every now and then something extremely different gets here on our hands at Metal Addicts. And when I say different I really mean it. I address to bands that bring groundbreaking and disruptive contributions to Metal music. I guess disruptive explains best what H*re bring here to us with “Siostry Wiedzmy” and saxophone and Free Jazz influences. Perhaps my dear fan isn’t really aware what Free Jazz is and can’t understand completely what this kind of influence means, but fear not, I’m here to make your life more difficult.

At first with opening track “Drwimy jak grom” “Siostry Wiedzmy” doesn’t bring any news as it sounds pretty standard Doom Metal with doses of Black Metal. However the fan with an open eye will notice that there is something different about the drumming as it speeds it up out the blue in the middle of the song. The impression is that the drummer – so sorry, I wasn’t able to get the name of the subject – fills the song with drum rolls. But, in general, the sonancy of the song is pretty standard. The surprises come from second track “Bije raz dwa trzy…” on when the saxophone gets in the way and all hell breaks loose in an unexpected and blurry sonancy. I guess a good description of what H*re do here is that they make the surprising and the awesome walk hand in hand. “Siostry Wiedzmy” is a mix of the avant-garde and the classic Metal ith a Black Metal verve. I say Black metal verve because it’s not that easy to label the music here as pure Black Metal. And I guess that’s not the intent of H*re.

The use of the saxophone is very controvertial within Metal music. I myself am one of whom don’t think it fits into Metal music. Well, in general, it doesn’t. But H*re managed to make it sound fit in many ways. On second track “Bije raz dwa trzy…” it comes from the start as a part of the song. Maybe some fans won’t notice its sound as it interwove perfectly into the song. In fact, it makes part of the sonic chaos the band brings. Also I’m obliged to highlight the drumming again. Pretty amazing effect. Then on the instrument gets to be an important part of the making of the music of band. The Sepulturesque “Siostry wiedźmy” gives a harder sonancy and toughs up with its candenced and thick atmosphere. The bass here has a prominent lead to give the song its soul. The saxophone here comes only in the end to give the Free Jazz feeling to the song without changing its core. That’s a strategy H*re follow. In the hyponotic riffing “Król Olch” the saxophone is so interwove into the song that the fan almost doesn’t get it. The song goes on slowly cadenced until the end. It sparked my attention that in “Pieśń ma była już w grobie” the saxophone solo sounds too much 1980s pop as it sounds too clean to be Metal.  The effect is dazzling specially if the fan isn’t aware of 1980s pop – well, in my opinion you do well my child of the night. But hey, it’s just another creative way H*re managed to include the sax into the music. 

I recommend “Siostry Wiedzmy” to the open minded fan. The one who doesn’t care about the labeling into metal music and isn’t afraid of tasting something peculiar.

H*re “Siostry Wiedzmy” will be released on May 14th via Witching Hour Productions.

Track Listing:

  1. Drwimy jak grom
  2. Bije raz, dwa, trzy…
  3. Siostry wiedźmy
  4. Król Olch
  5. W chrustach
  6. Pieśń ma była już w grobie
  7. Biesy
  8. Księżnę dziś pochowano

Watch “Drwimy jak grom” official video here:

https://youtu.be/vTSc07l0m4U