Human Industrial Wake are an interesting proposition. They don’t really subscribe to a single genre, taking influence from any manner of things, from The Cranberries to Deftones via The Cure. Last year they released their Hekate EP, a concept release aimed at telling a story through their songs. It provides a neat look into the dark, brooding core of the band and the variety of influences they have adopted.
Opening track “Witness of the Shoreline” is abundant in gothic and post-punk sounds, with thick bass and an overriding, dramatic synth driving the direction of the track. Lead singer Sara Lindh’s operatic vocals are at the forefront of the music, with a haunting, almost unnerving feel to them. The next track, “Another”, definitely shows their Evanescence influence, with Lindh channelling her inner-Amy Lee, and the dynamic shifts from verse to chorus letting her show off a little.
There’s a little bit of Deftones in the opening guitars to “Dark Waters”, as with “Wonderland”. Although everything around it is different, the guitar itself reminds me of the track “Change (In the House of Flies)” from Deftones’ seminal White Pony. The drums are probably at their weakest on “Dark Waters”, though, with the cymbal hits feeling quite jarring against everything else in the chorus. On “Wonderland”, the guitarists continue to channel Stephen Carpenter in his softer moments, with catchy guitars complementing the vocals nicely. When closing out with “Strangers”, things take a much more contemporary rock turn, letting the bass step up to the foreground during the verses. It’s a good way to close out the effort.
Something that deserves to be recognised is that Hekate is entirely self-produced by Human Industrial Wake. Normally for newer bands this could be a problem, but the whole thing sounds really good. Everything is audible, from the twin guitars to the rumbling bass, eery synths and simple but effective drums. The vocals could have been mixed in a little better, but unless it’s something you’re actively looking for you won’t notice it too much. I’m not sure what is up with the cymbal hits on the EP though, as they have a habit of cutting through everything else and distracting from everything else. This is most prevalent on “Dark Waters”, which is otherwise an excellent track.
Overall, Human Industrial Wake have created an intriguing little EP with Hekate. While taking on at times rather heavy influences, they’ve stripped back the aggression and combined it with more layered gothic and post-punk influences to instead have something that’s honestly rather difficult to categorise. It’s a great EP to just kick back and relax to.
Stream Human Industrial Wake's EP Hekate on Spotify, and follow the band on Facebook.
Opening track “Witness of the Shoreline” is abundant in gothic and post-punk sounds, with thick bass and an overriding, dramatic synth driving the direction of the track. Lead singer Sara Lindh’s operatic vocals are at the forefront of the music, with a haunting, almost unnerving feel to them. The next track, “Another”, definitely shows their Evanescence influence, with Lindh channelling her inner-Amy Lee, and the dynamic shifts from verse to chorus letting her show off a little.
There’s a little bit of Deftones in the opening guitars to “Dark Waters”, as with “Wonderland”. Although everything around it is different, the guitar itself reminds me of the track “Change (In the House of Flies)” from Deftones’ seminal White Pony. The drums are probably at their weakest on “Dark Waters”, though, with the cymbal hits feeling quite jarring against everything else in the chorus. On “Wonderland”, the guitarists continue to channel Stephen Carpenter in his softer moments, with catchy guitars complementing the vocals nicely. When closing out with “Strangers”, things take a much more contemporary rock turn, letting the bass step up to the foreground during the verses. It’s a good way to close out the effort.
Something that deserves to be recognised is that Hekate is entirely self-produced by Human Industrial Wake. Normally for newer bands this could be a problem, but the whole thing sounds really good. Everything is audible, from the twin guitars to the rumbling bass, eery synths and simple but effective drums. The vocals could have been mixed in a little better, but unless it’s something you’re actively looking for you won’t notice it too much. I’m not sure what is up with the cymbal hits on the EP though, as they have a habit of cutting through everything else and distracting from everything else. This is most prevalent on “Dark Waters”, which is otherwise an excellent track.
Overall, Human Industrial Wake have created an intriguing little EP with Hekate. While taking on at times rather heavy influences, they’ve stripped back the aggression and combined it with more layered gothic and post-punk influences to instead have something that’s honestly rather difficult to categorise. It’s a great EP to just kick back and relax to.
Stream Human Industrial Wake's EP Hekate on Spotify, and follow the band on Facebook.