There are some days that you just wake up, get ready go for work, put your earphones on and listen to a band you like, over and over and over again. You like the music so much, you feel it defines you, your day, your life, your job, and then you don’t like it anymore. Period. Hybrid is NOT one of those bands. This is one of those albums that make you break necks in the pit and trash your room in a frenzy. “Angst” is now out on Deepsend Records!
Hailing from Madrid, Spain, Hybrid comprises of Chus Maestro (drums), Iván Durán (guitar), Antonio Sánchez (guitar), and Oscar (vocals and bass). Hybrid must have flown wildly under the metalhead-next-door’s radar. Although, not too surprisingly, they have shared stages with the likes of Tool, Napalm Death and Misery Index.
The first thing about Hybrid that caught my attention was be the band’s name. The fact that it was not a lengthy, seemingly profound phrase that ironically did not end up meaning squat… or another pluralization.
The second thing would be the music itself. Album-opener “Flesh Fusion Threshold” had enough going on to get one to sit up and take notice. The primary Death Metal influence is obvious. But that just paves the way for a horde of aural debauchery as Jazz elements fuse with Grindcore ones. “Enter the Void” is where the actual magic happens. The dapper of an opening verse riff is the numero uno layer to the mutant that is Hybrid. The third track “Collapse to None” starts and ends on a spoken word sample which adds more flavour to the sci-fi vibe that the band has tried to capture on the album. The fourth track “Self Implosion” is my personal favourite on the album. And believe you me, when I say that it sounds like someone mashed up Gojira grooves with Textures’ vocal melody.
It goes without saying that the band has obscene magnitudes of technical proficiency on their respective instruments, which provides them with ample real estate to expand their sound onto. The production quality and mixing deserve a mention as well, what with the notes sounding crisp and clear, especially the bass. Sample the fifth track “Cuando el Destino nos Alcance”, an instrumental, if you want a first-hand taste of the dexterity.
For a band that produces such a healthy concoction of Math/Jazz/Grind and everything in between, Hybrid is criminally underrated, given that this is their sophomore full-length effort excluding the “Beyond Undeniable Entropy” demo. I for one would recommend anyone who likes the sound of “Angst” to dig up the debut record, “The 8th Plague” as well. “Angst” is a well-executed effort of some complexly arranged Extreme Metal beauties which is definitely worth your time and dough.
-Aurko
