There is something ancient in the sound of this trio from Portland (Oregon, always him!) who with Death Knocks reaches their second recording chapter. Which is the follow-up to their debut album Two Shadows in 2022 (but in 2021 they titled an EP of the same name). Kat Keo (she is the voice, as well as setting the riffs), Kim Coffel (toning drums that Steve Lillywhite would like) and the new entry (bass and singing) April Dimmick. Actually, they open with the declaration of intent of Where the Seas Fall Silent. A hosanna that develops in a more bituminous version of the liturgies celebrated by the sublime Pallbearers.
Death Knocks: “Melodic interactions that break the tension”
The unhinging bass and the feral scream that anticipate the finale admit no doubts. Basically, determination and discipline are attributes that they possess in their own right. As the following tracks will confirm, starting from the punctuated Kill Switch, a contrast between ferocious instruments and sometimes diaphanous singing, with unexpected and perfect melodic interactions that break the tension, combining it with narration. Still that bass that also evokes post-punk stylistic features, and that reminds us of Kröwnn, but Hoaxed know how to measure their enthusiasm and stem their instincts. And here they are alongside Messa in the establishment of a truly sacred sound (Promised to Me).
The calibration of the team of producers in Death Knocks
Three years since Two Shadows, in this period of time that in the existence granted to a band can be significant, during which they have carefully cultivated their sound. Indeed, in Death Knocks dutifully calibrated by the team of producers made up of Gabe Johnston and Arthur Ridz, with the contribution of April. She is also a devotee of classic metal whose influences can be recognized in the construction of the eight (plus the short Looking Glass) tracks that complete the track list of the album. These, however, are perceived almost hidden. Because the massive exposure of Death Knocks incorporates them, makes them its own without making them too evident.
Death Knocks: “And I do not hesitate to say that this is only the beginning”
The gait is orderly, the epic contribution of The Fallen spontaneously inserts itself into the lyrical flow conducted by Kat Keo. And it exalts the collective, the overall proof that is another, if not the most evident, of the founding elements of the Hoaxed method. All in all, a magniloquent, ceremonious one. But never, and I never emphasize, indulgent towards those annoying forms of narcissism that infect the work of so many of their colleagues. And it is one track in particular, not for nothing entitled The Family, to consolidate my conviction that it is precisely the collective that provides that archaic energy which it constitutes the true and authentic force that Hoaxed release with great resourcefulness. And I do not hesitate to say that this is only the beginning. The first phase, the process of expansion is still ongoing, they will grow further.
Track list
- Where the Seas Fall Silent
- Kill Switch
- Promised to Me
- The Fallen
- Looking Glass
- Dead Ringer
- Wretched
- The Family
- Killing Stone
Line Up
- Kat Keo – Guitars & Vocals
- April Dimmick – Bass & Vocals
- Kim Coffel – Drums