Hippotraktor return with a second dose of their post-Meshuggah cocktail, combing the best parts of post-metal and prog and injecting both with an ever-present groove.
From the outset, the riffs take centre stage. Opening track ‘Descent’ is aptly named, with the guitars tuned so low that James Cameron is chasing them in his latest submersible. While the album opens on an aggressive note, there are still splashes of melody and restraint sprinkled throughout the opener, showcasing how breaking out of the typically linear post-metal formula allows for much more dynamic compositions.
Lead single ‘Silver Tongue’ plays with groove and tempo throughout, constantly pushing and pulling, rising and falling and taking left turn after left turn without ever feeling contrived or unnecessary. The way each instrument weaves around the other is a staple feature of Hippotraktor past and present, and they’re only getting better at it with each successive release. The guitars are utilised with brutal efficiency, floaty and dreamlike one moment before joining the vocals for a staccato assault the next.
The production is powerful, clean and crisp – the drums punch through to the forefront when they need to propel the songs forward, and the vocals are always perfectly integrated into the sound whether at a whisper or a full-tilt roar. It’s an impeccably polished sound without succumbing to sterility, engineered to support the material rather than stifle it. Vocalists Sander Rom and Stefan De Graef cover a staggering amount of ground between them, and the moments where their vocals intertwine create some of the highest peaks of the album.
“The album addresses the concept of encountering both the darkness and light of human nature and the delicate balance we must strike between them”
Stasis continues the narrative established by its predecessor Meridian. Weaving the tale of an unnamed protagonist encountering other humans for the first time in a strange new world, the album addresses the concept of encountering both the darkness and light of human nature and the delicate balance we must strike between them. In a neat twist, the tracks tell the story in reverse as the protagonist looks back on his life. It’s a clever way to present the tale, using retrospection as a tool to frame the lyrics, which are grand in scope and imbued with the bittersweet regret that only looking back can provide, but without ever reaching into the pomp of your typical prog opera. Told in first person in this unique manner, and addressing such universal questions and struggles of the human existence, it’s difficult not to come out of Stasis with a new appreciation for thoughtful introspection and awareness of our capacity for selfishness and pride.
Album closer ‘The Reckoning’ is the standout track, and the one that leans furthest into the glacial patience and pacing of post-metal. Things get downright cinematic as the layers build, the arrangement ebbing and flowing through gorgeously textured clean sections before erupting into a joyously cathartic climax after five minutes. The further into the album we’ve travelled, the more we’ve been rewarded with flourishes of virtuosity, with some especially exquisite guitar work on this track that weaves intricately around the vocal to propel the track through near 8 minutes of perfection. Ending with a delicate reprise of the opening with some truly haunting vocals, it’s a blissful, brutal song to close on.
Stasis might lean further into atmospherics and take a less direct route than Meridian, but it’s still infused with the frantic and furious energy of a band at the top of their game. We can’t wait to see where Hippotraktor take us next.