Hedonist - Eat Thus
Polderrecords - 2025
Stoner, Metal
Rated: ****
In the eyes of the ignorant neighbor I am, I always had and have the impression that bands from Belgium give every kind of underground music their own little twist, which makes the good stuff that little bit more interesting (and often better). But there are exceptions to the rule. Bands that don't fuss about and aim straight for their goal without any frills or unnecessary bits and bops. One of those bands is Hedonist, who don't hesitate to let you know that they have been put on this earth to let you know they mean business.
'Eat Thus' is their third full length (released almost nine years after its predecessor 'The Collapse') and grabs you by the throat as soon as thunderous opener 'Dirtscraper' bursts through the speakers and rips the essence of your being apart. Telling you it's built around a monster groove would be a huge understatement. It's stoner metal at its very best, supported by a heavy, in your face production that sounds like a freight train running over you at full speed.
As you might expect after the introduction above, Hedonist consistently roams around in the blurry no man's land between stoner and metal. If they weren't aware of that the way they obviously are, boredom and monotony could be lurking around the corner. Not in this case. The attention and emphasis shift constantly, which means at times the stoner side comes to the forefront, like on the aforementioned 'Dirtscraper' and 'Just Start Kicking', while at other times metal is the dominant ingredient, mainly in the triple attack of 'Golden Voodoo Witch', 'Warrior' and 'Helvete'. And then there's a song called 'Beaumont', which wanders off the beaten path with its slightly slower pace and its extensive instrumental part that could best be described as post alternative doom rock. But like all good things, the best is being saved for last. The epic, balanced stoner/doom/metal hybrid riff fest called 'Kryszty C' ends things on a high note with lots of variation and the raw, yet pleasant vocals of Frank Homolka taking center stage. That's what I call coming back with a bang after an extended period of silence.
(Written by Ronny Dijksterhuis)
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