HISS FROM THE MOAT may be pioneering (or definitely at least expanding upon and evolving) genres with their upcoming sophomore album The Harrier. I’m going to label it Blackened Tech-Death, or Technical Black Metal, or Technical Blackened Death Metal, I haven’t decided yet, I need to hear the rest of the album first. But it’s certain that the precise technical execution and raw blackened aesthetic, two seemingly opposing approaches, are combining in a marvelous way, and that can be seen here in the band’s full playthrough of their track “God Nephasto”!
According to the video, the lyrical content utilizes religious and political scripts to portray the inherently destructive nature of man. This encompassing ideological schema imbues an undefinable weight to the music in the way that is unique black metal. The video states that the album was recorded as naturally as possible, giving it a raw sonic aesthetic which is again consistent with the collective conception of black metal. The arrangements, however, require a tech-death level of skill. James Payne may be one of the only drummers with the god-like capability of playing with extreme technical precision while endowing deliberate feel. His performances on the album were not quantized, and I’m willing to bet they were barely touched in the editing process. You can clearly hear Payne’s accented hits and his double kick rolls evenly and dynamically, creating a sonic texture that’s absolutely human; albeit one of the highest levels of human performance.
Here’s what drummer James Payne had to say about the track:
“The song is one of the most intense of the album as far as rhythm and atmosphere. It has several parts of blast beats and breakdowns that combined with the dark atmosphere of the notes keep the song pretty nervous. This is to support the lyrics that have been taken from parts of the Enuma Elish and the Old Testament that talk about when the Gods mentioned in these scripts, ordered sacrifices in their honor.”
And of course, here’s the gear list used in the recordings:
DRUMS:
- Tama Hyperdrive 22″x20″ kicks, 8″,10″,12″,14″,16″ toms
- Tama SLP Snare Drum
- Remo Emperor Clear on toms/floor toms
- Remo Emperor X Coated on Snare Drum
- Zildjian A Custom Cras 16″18″ & 19″
- Zildjian A Custom Fast Crash 17″
- Zildjian Oriental China 18″
- Zildjian A Custom China 18″
- Zildjian A Splash 8″
- Zildjian A Custom Splash 10″
- Zildjian A Custom Hi-Hats 13″ & 14″
- Vic Firth HD9 Drumsticks
BASS:
- Warwick Corvette NT $$ 5 LTD 2011
- Markbass New York 122
- Darkglass Microtubes X7
GUITARS
- Ibanez UV70P-BK (Jack)
- Di Marzio Blaze (Jack)
- D’addario strings (Jack)
- Ibanez RGD Iron Label 7 Strings 2016 (Max)
- Di Marzio Fusion Edge (Max)
- Ernie Ball strings (Max)
- Ibanez Tube Screamer
- Peavy 5150
- Mesa Boogie 2×12 cabinet
I’m incredibly excited to listen to The Harrier and hear what Hiss From The Moat releases onto the world. Check out their Facebook here, YouTube here, Instagram here, and Bandcamp here. And Listen to The Harrier when it’s out February 22nd on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play. You can pre-order the album here.
