Over the years I have become more drawn to prog, which like many genres (see my last review and discussion about post metal), is just not descriptive enough to tell you what you are getting. Germany’s The Hirsch Effekt is a great example of this, a band who has been around since 2008 but only became known to me when I was curating my potential review list from the January 30 release week. The cover alone had me intrigued, as did the cohesion in song title naming conventions, all in German of course (as are the lyrics). The basic description of progressive metal did not have me prepared for what was about to infiltrate my ears.

The Hirsch Effekt dwells in the land of experimental. There are so many influences colliding together that on paper it doesn’t seem like it could possibly be cohesive. Though the sound is totally different, one comparison is Between the Buried and Me, known for their experimental avante garde ways that can feel very out there at times. The Hirsch Effekt does not quite get that wacky, but the melting pot of subgenres is intriguing. Progressive metal, emo, post / indie rock, death metal and deathcore, hardcore, art rock, jazz, funk, classical, and more, are all influences I picked up on, some more prevalent than others. I remember the first time I listened to this album and thinking how crazy some of the parts were, yet somehow it always felt cohesive. At any given point you never know what to expect, and yet it somehow all works. The song compositions are super brainy, utilizing dynamic shifts, multiple rhythmic mechanics, technical prowess, emotion soaked melodies, eerie atmosphere, a variety of instruments including several non traditional for metal, sudden stops and pivots, and so much more. Vocals run the gamut of silky cleans, melodic croons, tortured screams, and sinister snarls. The songs can be incredibly gorgeous and caustically edgy at the same time, feeling unnerving and challenging you. The album’s song order is incredible, with great pacing and well-placed tracks and sections within songs that do a great job bringing you back to center before throwing you for a loop yet again. Each song makes sense and flows well amidst the chaos, and it is an album that has been a consistent grower for me. To make things a bit simpler, this feels almost like a mix of progressive metal and post metal, just without the blackened vocals typical of post metal, but even that really doesn’t do this album justice. At its most basic, this is just prog, and proggy it is!

Title track “Der Brauch” opens the festivities, greeting you with a frolicking guitar picked melody that has a harp like quality complemented by restrained heartfelt cleans. It transitions into a brief build that quickly layers in distortion and drums, maintaining the guitar melody while surrounding it with more power and aggression and vocals that are punchy and emphatic. A little over halfway through, the floor opens, swallowing everything up, allowing gorgeous orchestration and a backing choir to fill the void beautifully. This reprieve settles briefly, only to return to a wall of sound, crushing riffs and thunderous drums punctuated by screamy vocals carrying you to the conclusion. 

“Der Faden” has an ethereal opening, jazzy high hat meets soft proggy guitar flourishes surrounded by a noir cinematic backdrop. Eerie piano enters the fray along with staccato string plucking and ominous swells, slowly growing until drums and guitars develop a more driving cadence. The use of polymeter across multiple instruments adds a rich consistency, along with unnerving textures like quick starts and stops and surges. The vocals have an emo/indie rock character, melodic croons full of emotion, complete with occasional backing screams desperate in nature. The midway polymetric instrumental bridge serves as a nice transition before reintroducing the vocals, amped up in their passion and desperation. The entire song has a moody vibe that constantly keeps you off balance and wondering what’s next. The ending approaches bombastic territory, myriad melodies converging as the vocals soar to new heights, with harmonies and screams layered for effect. 

“Das Seil” is the second longest song on the album, clocking right at seven and a half minutes. It starts out emotionally charged, accentuated by the hefty guitar downstrums and mini flourishes. The entire song builds an art rock facade atop progressive scaffolding, with guitar melodies dancing in staccato polyrhythmic motions that rarely rest. The song explores myriad textures, treating your ears to folksy flamenco-like picked acoustic guitar, funky bass, pervasive tribal percussion, 90’s alternative art rock (on occasions I get brief Daniel Amos vibes), and an atmospheric wall of sound,  just to name a few. The bass is notably thick, and along with the driving drums provides a crushing foundation allowing the guitars to explore jazz and funk patterns. This song has the most avante garde feel from a prog perspective to this point, but it never oversteps or loses cohesion. As the song nears the finale, it utilizes dynamics nicely, pivoting from a wall of sound to a laid back guitar melody that provides a brief reprieve before entering the big heavy ending. This ending reconnects to the opening passage, just way heavier, drums blasting while torturous growls permeate the enveloping atmosphere enroute to an abrupt ending.

“Brauch Reprise” is a gorgeous short instrumental that pays homage to the opening title track, beautiful guitar picking and dueling melodies that go from bright to somber as the song finishes. It serves as a nice transitional into the next part of the album and acts as a centering piece from the earlier chaos.

“Der Doppelgänger” is one of my favorites, its jazzy opening, driving riff, and silky vocals in the verse a dichotomy to the emotionally charged Saosin-like chorus. The emotive croons post the second choral refrain lead to an extended instrumental that is a clinic on building via layers and dynamics, bringing to mind Explosions in the Sky and End of the Ocean in their artsy indie rock expressions, complete with the mystique of an ambient backing choir. A confident polyrhythmic guitar lead serves as the main foundation as the vocals return to deliver another verse and chorus. The guitars gain more confidence, quickly building to a chaotic sprint of galloping drums and frenetic guitar soloing amidst crushing riffs that will keep you on your toes. A wall of sound ensues, distorted atmosphere swirling all around, finally ending with thunderous aggression and sinister vocals.

“Die Lüge” is the album’s longest, its airy ethereal quality taking centerstage with a mysterious simple staccato melody. Brass instruments make an appearance, droning in orchestral harmony, adding ominous flavor. Guitars and drums finally take over, Leprous-like percussive fills supporting a spacey riff while confident vocals provide an impassioned delivery. The opening mechanics are layered back in, a frequently used mechanic that works extremely well, with the horns taking a prominent role in creating atmosphere. The chorus is a cinematic deluge, calming back down for the following verse, and then hitting you hard again on the refrain. The instrumental bridge smacks you with heavy djent, beating your ears until silence overtakes, then reprising the opening ethereal vibe with addition of dissonant chaotically bowing strings. One final crescendo and crushing djent passage decrescendos to an extended eerie outro.

The long quiet ending serves as another centering point, a great transition for “Die Brücke,” perhaps the brightest sounding song on the album. I swear this could have been a Thirty Seconds to Mars B-Side from the “This Is War” era, even carrying the Jared Leto-esque swooning vocals. It has a similar post metal character to much of the latest album from Møl, just sans blackened vocals. This is easily the most accessible song on the album, with an earworm chorus that takes residence in my brain and forces me to hum it for days. Vocalist Nils Wittrock rarely lets go like this on the album, and you get a stronger glimpse into his vocal talent. The drumming is fabulous, perhaps the only aspect that has some proggy underpinnings, while the guitars have that atmospheric feel that is powerful and emotive.  This is easily another favorite.

“Das Nachsehen” gives me VOLA vibes with its spacey ethereal synthy opening and soaring vocals. 100 seconds in and it amps way up, tormented vocals over a crushing soundscape, before calming slightly, maintaining the spacey atmosphere amidst the distortion. A brief progressive flourish opens to absolutely thunderous hits, evil sounding vocals and roars punctuating a synth infused deathcore-like breakdown. A thrashy gallop begins, intermixing clean and harsh vocals while choppy riffs race in tandem with blistering drums. Then chaos ensues: polyrhythmic madness mixed with blastbeats, crazy fills, atmospheric breakdowns, sick vocals, and eerie cinematics. It calms briefly only to resume the chaos, ending with keys creating their own mini havoc. This is not only the heaviest song on the album, but it is probably the most flamboyant and experimental, and yet it manages to feel very cohesive. It is another favorite.

Closing track “Die Heimkehr” comes full circle,  returning to the harp-like guitar melodies that started us on this journey. It is slow and impassioned, a sharp dichotomy to the chaos of the previous track, gorgeous textures encompassing with symphonics floating over the fast picked silky flourishes, creating a stunning ambiance. Two and a half minutes in it shifts gears, indie rock guitars and drums slowly building to an emphatic conclusion that is big and powerful. The ending minute has a strong Further Seems Forever vibe, just enriched with beautiful orchestral textures, closing out this unique album in heartfelt fashion.

The more I listen, the more I have become enamored with this album. It is definitely outside of my normal wheelhouse, but sometimes pushing your boundaries is a good thing, and this one fits the bill. If you want to take an adventure that will surprise you at every turn, give this album a spin!