Let’s face it: Post/Black Metal has won the extreme music war. It doesn’t matter where I go; there are at least 20 Post/Black bands making everything around them a valley of tears and sorrow. That brings me to today’s guest, Hell is Other People. With a name clearly inspired by Huis Clos, I couldn’t let it pass! I love my Black Metal existentialist, and that’s what Moirae seemed to promise. Rarely have I been this interested in finding no way out of a painful situation, but that’s what extreme music does to the soul! Anyway, it’s judgment time!
Moirae wasn’t what I expected—or, well, sort of. I did anticipate it would be harsh and depressing, but I also wasn’t expecting this level of melodic drama. It really hits right in the feels! Especially in its first half, where I found myself constantly eyeing that kitchen paper that looked so tempting for my tears. It was overwhelming in a way that felt rewarding. Taking elements from Agalloch, Downfall of Gaia, but mostly Departe (the best Post/Black band you’ve probably never heard of), the sense of loss is constant, surrounding you like a giant snake, squeezing the life out of you.
I can’t think of anything strange Hell is Other People proposes here, and yet I can’t help but come back. Every time I dive into Moirae, something else seems to capture my attention. Perhaps Groza this year is the band that comes closest to this kind of writing approach, as the immense emotional weight of the guitar work swallows everything in its path. However, I also appreciate that Moirae doesn’t abuse blast beats as a means to convey urgency. It feels comfortable freezing in its hopeless atmosphere.
There are a few things that keep resurfacing in a less enjoyable way, though. I would’ve loved the drums to be a bit more present in the mix (not via blastbeats!). Sometimes they seem to melt away in the overall mood of the tracks, and that’s a shame, honestly. Then there’s the final track, “Atropos”, where the album’s pacing loses some momentum to the point that I wonder if the track had undergone a bit more editing, it could’ve fitted better with the rest. Don’t you think these are just details? I do, but maybe you’re more obnoxious than I am!
I still liked Moirae more than I anticipated. I’m not sure if it was just the right album at the right time, but its capacity to build atmosphere and dread without becoming a repetitive snooze fest is probably a big reason why, despite being such a dark cloud of horror, the album demands you to return to it. On a side note, I see how Transcending Obscurity is expanding its tentacles into the Post-Metal world (because, obviously, Death Metal wasn’t enough). And mmm… if it’s going to be like this, I don’t mind!
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Release date: 11 October, 2024
Website: https://www.facebook.com/HiOPofficial
Country: Canada
Score: Seeing the good in others, or 3.7/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 