Part of the pitch as delivered by the powers that be concerning this Denver-based “modern” thrash band is that they’ve spent spurts of time on the road lubing up audiences for Exhorder and Overkill. After a brief whirl of their self-released Dark Adder full-length from 2016, I would have said if Hydraform hadn’t already opened up for Exhorder and Overkill, that opening for Exhorder and Overkill would be a pretty sensible move. In an attempt to take a step to the next level, the band enlisted studio veteran/living dial turning legend, Sylvia Massy for engineering/production duties for their forthcoming self-titled EP. Today, we present an advance listen of this very release for your listening pleasure. When we did the usual and hit the band up for a quote about their latest creation, they did the unusual and essentially submitted what is part glowing one-sheet and part glowing review of their own record.
“Hydraform, the many-headed creature, rises from the unexpected location of Denver, Colorado. Uniting the melodic and visceral, the technical and the groove, the quartet dial in an eclectic range of modern approaches to create their sound. After their successful debut album Dark Adder, the next triple-threat strike is a self-titled EP coming this summer.
“Fresh and modern are the melodic licks that kick off ‘Born of the Sea,’ with a swinging groove underneath that drives the song forward relentlessly until its screaming close. ‘Chained,’ meanwhile, has a mean bass line threaded through it, while Carter Pashko’s throat-scratching screams and hard rock-inflected singing reverberate off walls adorned with posters of Lamb of God, Tool and System of a Down. Hydraform has moved past these influences, however. Subtle elements of their own brand of prog creep into their sound, such as in the evolving intro of ‘Parasite,’ where drummer Matt Gotlin’s complex drumming patterns interlock with the piano and axe-strings dancing around him. The finale of this track is especially masterful, as the band reach their peak and Carter delivers an impassioned performance: ‘We hate what we fear / And we fear ourselves / Lying beneath your skin,’ ending on a final growling ‘Bleeding.’
“To encapsulate such a malleable style in just three songs is admirable, and Hydraform has succeed with aplomb. For fans of the above-mentioned bands, this comes as essential listening.”
In addition to the contact and ordering info below, we’ve also included a self-produced mini-documentary about the band’s time in the studio with Massy.
Hydraform is set for release on June 26.
