HYLI Vol. LXXX - Infant Island and METZ
Idk. We did another theme week. It's self-titled albums? Is that a theme? (Andy: idk felt like a fun one) Do people care about the titles of albums? Thank you for reading.
You know how everyone agreed that 2022 was the Year of Hardcore. I think it is time to properly proclaim that 2023 is the Year of Death Metal. What an unreal year for the genre. I’ve listened to at least 3x as much death metal as black metal this year. So that is neat. I hope everyone is enjoying their football season or their video games or their cinema experiences or hanging out with family and friends or however you find joy in this slowly decaying world! Appreciate you being here (Patrick: obviously this was written by andy lol)!
Infant Island - Infant Island
Andy: Trying to mix up the formula a little bit here at HYLI Corp. We both chose self-titled albums this week – the least creative but most confident of album titles. The ballsiest thing a band can do is start a debut self-titled album with a self-titled song. The song “Black Sabbath” starts the album Black Sabbath by the band Black Sabbath. Just go for it. System of a Down’s self-titled is probably my favorite self-titled album. Patrick knows Black Sabbath, Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, etc., so whatever, let's go deeper in the bag and hit him with Infant Island’s Infant Island.
Let’s just get this out of the way. I don’t know how much Patrick is going to whine about this not being ‘metal.’ It’s fine. Grow up. I originally was going to do Portishead (maybe the best S/T actually?) because it is great, and then pitched Iced Earth, but we went with this (Patrick: your “pitch” was texting me the link to Infant Island first and then the link to Iced Earth like 15 seconds later). Some good ole’ Atmospheric Post-Screamo ( *laughing while crying emoji* ).
Dumb name aside, the band slaps. Screamo is a great genre when they get it right, and this album really gets it right. 7 songs at 27 minutes - we at HYLI have established that this is a perfect vibe. Infant Island’s atmosphere is some grade-A top-tier sad boi music. Incomprehensible whining vocals with solid riffs and chaotic drumming. Yes, please. “A Preoccupation” is a post-rock-inverse-black-metal ripper. “Replenish” is a shoegaze-inspired-screamo banger. To be to the point - they make very good atmospheric screamo.
Hope You Like It, Patrick. Sorry It Isn’t On Metal Archives.
Patrick: I was going to yell at Andy for sending me this (Andy: told you) because it goes against the grain of the initial concept of HYLI in that this is not a metal album but when I texted him “I’m going to make you made when you read my write up” he almost immediately responded with “because you’re going to complain about genres since this isn’t metal?” so I will cut him a break due to his self-awareness. Also, we’ve almost done 100 of these. Give us a break.
I also will not be yelling at Andy because this album is fucking sick and great and probably a top 5 Andy HYLI submission. I probably never would have listened to this band because of the abysmal name (Andy: bad band name) but I’m glad I did because screamo can be so sick. I was listening to a Bonus Scroll episode of the Endless Scroll podcast, my favorite music podcast, and they were discussing the band Loma Prieta, a band I thought about a lot while listening to Infant Island. This band doesn’t quite have the hooks of Loma Prieta but the guitar work might somehow possibly maybe be better and they nail the pretty but heavy thing.
I really love the track “Broken Pieces.” I don’t know what guy is going on about but I love the vocals. The part around 2:20 where the guitars drop out and it’s just bass, some spare tom fills, and the vocals are so sick. And when the explosion of guitars kick in? I love screamo and I love music. Music can be so cool. I wish this album came out in like 2012 when I was living in Gainesville, Florida and attending The Fest and listening to bands like Suis La Lune and Raein a lot lol. I love to Remember Some Guys and Listen to Music.
METZ - METZ
Patrick: Is this my favorite self-titled album of all-time? Decidedly not (Andy: Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath or is there some album called David Bowie or something) (Patrick: Bowie does have a self-titled and it’s his worst album lol). Do I even listen to this band often enough to warrant writing about them? Probably no, I listen to this album maybe once a year and that’s about it. However, I wanted to be nice to my friend Andy and pick something that I felt fairly certain would be right up his alley (Andy: thanks).
Metz is great. Well, actually, Metz is pretty good. Metz really nailed a vibe that I was desperate for round about the middle part of the last decade. Pretty much just standard noise rock but also hooky at times with great guitar parts and a little bit of Drive Like Jehu-type stuff sprinkled in. Does this band still sound like this? Are they still good? Beats me!
“Get Off” is such a great song. The production is insane, from the scratchy guitar track to begin it, then the insanely loud track coming out of the left side right after, and the higher-pitched and feedbacky part on the right following that. Just tons of guitar layers stacked on top of each other and sounding sick. What more do you need? “Rats” rides that kinda Cloud Nothings beat too. God dammit this album is so loud. Everything sounds like it’s pushing the faders within an inch of their life here. I love how many prominent bass lines there are too. Bass can be so cool when people aren’t being dorks about it like the Tool guy or Primus guy. Just a simple root note riff can be so powerful and that’s the case on “Rats,” absolutely. This shit is Andy-core (Andy: the best-core), or at least in the non-metal division, and I hope he likes it. Maybe he’ll like it more than me in 2023 but I highly doubt he’ll like it more than me in 2014.
Andy: This album rocks; it is very much in my wheelhouse.
I know we kinda say the same thing in these newsletters, but I love when guys just fuck around hard with guitars. I love feedback. I love guitar noises. This is controlled chaos. They don’t lose their shit like Telos does, but they still let it rip just as hard. Like if The Chariot was more into Nirvana, had fewer anger issues, and let their riffs grow instead of smashing their guitars to pieces. I mean, it's just as loud, just more put together. The songs are a relentless assault of monolithic guitar riffs. I think what makes Metz's sound so unique is the way they balance these different elements. They create a sound that is both intense and accessible, both chaotic and controlled.
“Wet Blanket” is such a great song, man. One of the best songs Pat has ever sent me, I think. “Wasted” is just a Chariot song that has itself put together. The riffs here are big and loud. Vocals are good enough to keep the atmosphere going without trying too hard to be anything other than another instrument. That is how they should be.
I really don’t know why I kept thinking of Telos while reviewing this band (Patrick: truuuuuly beats me). They really aren’t similar in any way, but I can’t help but think of them while listening. Good band, good pick.