Hierosonic – Kymatica
You know when you see old episodes of Saved By The Bell and you look at A.C Slater’s pants and you think to yourself, “wow, those were cool?” That’s the feeling you get when you turn on Hierosonic’s fifth release Kymatica. Having never heard of this quintet out of Pennsylvania I was, of course, optimistic at first. However, I must be honest in saying I was a little put off by the name. “Hierosonic” sounds like a typical name you would see on the marquee of a nightclub in a strip mall in east Indiana on a Tuesday night. But I’m reviewing the music and not the band name; and after listening through all I can think to myself is, “these guys have made five albums?”
I mean where do I start? The fact of the matter is Hierosonic’s sound comes across very dated. I would best describe it as a mix of early nineties pop, mixed with infusions of early Incubus, and topped off with a hint of that God-awful band we all would love to forget, Trapt. Their use of drum machines and Cracker Jack box sampling reminds me of watered down version of, forgive me, Nine Inch Nails. Their mind numbing lyrics are extremely predictable and cliché’. They try to go heavy, yet fail miserably. But it’s not entirely their fault seeing as it sounded like they were playing on Squier practice amps.
As every track goes by, you just get the feeling that they are ripping off one artist after another – and not doing a good job of it. Track one is a rip off of Trapt, track two of Incubus, track three of Nine Inch Nails…and this cycle repeats itself. The album progressively loses energy as it moves forward until you get to their instrumental, snore fest ballads that leave you feeling awkward and uncomfortable. You almost feel embarrassed for them. I would go into detail but feel that would be completely irrelevant to the review.
The guitar tracks are poorly delivered, the recording quality is low, and the song composition is miserable at best. The vocals are not horrible but offer up no salvation to the record because of the uninteresting lyrical content. I feel like I’m listening to a group of kids who have yet to fine tune their musical abilities, and recorded an album to impress their friends. The problem is, though, that these are adults and this is their fifth album. Don’t quit your day jobs, guys.
In my opinion, at the height of their career, Hierosonic will be nothing more than a decent opener for mainstream rock bands. Are you familiar with the expression “Don’t beat a dead horse”? Well, that’s exactly what these guys are doing – beating a dead horse. The world has progressed from this style of music, so to try and release an album in 2010 that sounds as though it was written and recorded ten years ago is just absurd.
In conclusion, if you are a middle-aged, white woman who likes to get out of the dance floor, close your eyes, raise you arms over your head, and sway, then Hierosonic might be the band for you. Simply put, it’s the kind of music your parents would listen to if they were trying to fit in. But, if you are like me and have a taste for something more bold and modern, something intelligent and captivating, you would be wise to steer clear. If I was writing this review in 1998, I believe it would have gone a different way. But guys, it’s 2010 and the rest of the musical community has moved on. Maybe it’s time you join us.
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9 Comments
January 15th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
So what your telling me is that you didnt like this album….right?
HAHAHAHAHA!
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January 15th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
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January 15th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
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July 31st, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Ryan,
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, your review of their CD is harsh and incredibly negative.
You mentioned that the first song on the CD, "Pluto", sounds like Trapt? I have a couple of CD's from Trapt and Chris Brown does not sound like Ben Stewart nor does "Pluto" have sounds in it similiar to a Trapt song. Which Trapt song were you referring to? I don't recall hearing in Trapt's radio singles (or seeing Trapt live) any type of electronic percussion. And you mentioned Incubus in reference to "Red Herring" (track #2)… there aren't any DJ samples/scratches in Red Herring that are prevelent in any Incubus song… so what were you hearing?
Every artist out there takes their influences and twists them and makes them their own. It's the combination of a group of people creating together that something amazing comes out if it. These guys are the real deal. They work as hard, if not harder, then anyone else in this area. They continue to write and continue to develop their song writing style.
You made the comment about the CD failing miserably when they tried to get heavy. I respectfully disagree. The last section of Another Evolution, We Cry (in the bridge) and I am Am are heavy. I realize this is just a CD review, but maybe you should consider seeing them live? This band consistently puts on an amazing show and consistently has a pit during their live performance. I don't recall a pit at a Trapt show. In fact, people were barely moving at the Trapt concert.
One last thing, what was up with the comment on their pic? it makes you sound childish and immature…that was completely unprofessional and unnecessary..
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The NewReview replied:
July 31st, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Hi Tony,
Ryan is no longer a writer here, so he won't be answering any of your questions (review was posted in January) . Thanks for the comment and visiting the site!
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August 5th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Sounds like this guy is just trying hard to be in Jamie Kennedy's next documentary. What a fuck. Fifty bucks says he auditioned for the band and got shot down for being a no-talent hack. I say to you, Mr. Tallman, you deserve to be rolled around in barbed wire with Magic Johnson.
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December 7th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
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November 9th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
They’re my favorite band actually… and they’re all very nice talented guys. Opinions are cool and all, but damn, relax.
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April 21st, 2012 at 12:01 am
We saw you in Fayetteville at the ROCK SHOP. They’ve moved to a much larger cocert hall. What is required to get you back. Concert was kickass. You signed the Kymatica CD & Gave my daughter a set of busted up sticks. She keeps them in music collection.
Peace,
John Brantley
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