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Hex: Hex

Hard Rock/Heavy Metal

3.5/5.0

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logic(il)logic Records
by Craig Hartranft,  07.04.2013

From Sweden, Hex are some rather odd birds. They wear lots of black and leather with white face paint like Scandi black metal bands. Their lyrical themes are on the darker side, like the former, with allusions to the occult and voodoo. But they play this very catchy groove hard rock that borders on metal. Then, through some samples and synths, they throw in some industrial nuances.

Hex: pale as a ghost.

It may, on the surface, seem anomalous, even eclectic, but I suspect Hex knows just what they're after. The aforementioned elements of groove-laden rock mashed metal with some synth layers can often give Hex's sound a larger than life feel. You get this on the opening Succubus, then later on Voodoo Girl, Hellbound, and Haunted Hill by example. Alternatively, not forsaking the groove, Hex can simply be hard and heavy as on 7even, Sin Eater, or Spider Baby.

Another curious element is founding member Jonas Hygren's vocal style. He's got this raspy gruff, but melodic, style which crunches along. He's kind of like the dude from Lordi singing with Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. He rarely varies, but his style fits with the big riffs and a natural rhythms in the songs. You may tire of him but, conversely, he might grow on you too. Hex also boasts a beefy rhythm section, absolutely necessary for rocking groove metal, and some nice traditional guitar solos, something you often don't associate with industrial nuances. Hex's debut album is interesting stuff, displaying a band who has found their niche early in the game.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Hex's debut album is interesting stuff, displaying a band who has found their niche early in the game.

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The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]