Solipsist (EP 2019)
Henrik Huber
Instrumental Prog Metal
Just like Mikael Akerfeldt named a rainy afternoon and Scott Walker as inspiration to Opeths “Watershed”, Henrik ‘Hens’ Hubers new EP “Solipsist” could be another soundtrack to a beautiful stormy weather. The member of Illegal Jazz Brunch and I Watch Mountains Grow, who already shared the stage with e.g. False King, forged five new tunes completely on his own, circling around loneliness and isolation.
His debut LP “Effigy” already appealed the Stormbringer to feature him in “Underground von Unten Vol. 30” with Fallen Up and Boogie Hammer, earlier issues containing Discopowerboxxx, Instructor and also solo artist Johannes Maria Knoll. The artwork of his new work shows a lonely wolf sitting on a kind of little island in the fog, crafted by Darren Hope.
The first few sounds in “I’ve Seen The End” remind a bit of the 80s, before the bass makes it more modern and parasitic noise gives the amplitude, before the thunder rolls in completely. Then the drops burble along, and the clouds pile themselves up. The accentuated drums, the ground building parts and impulsively guitars are characteristic attributes, that go through all the songs, while the ending reminds of Alexi Laiho on the one hand and marks a great kick-off on the other.
“A Way Out” feels like the escape in fast technical (Melodic) Death Metal like Raunchy, In Flames or Dark Age, with parts like a stuttering engine and howling guitars, going progressive and quiet. Water drops falling slowly, then it gets epic and chorally, with a beautiful clear cut at the end. Who is to “Blame”, the next sweet riff asks with descant. Thoughtfully it crashes in a HIM-like transition, rousing to dance and also pogo. Fast double bass and brutal distortion end in a piano collapse a la “Mephisto”.
“It Has Always Been Myself” could be a positive or negative realization. It is right here, with a basic rock structure but many changes to clean chords, dissonance and piano, re-appearing starched. The final path “To Where The Ego Sleeps” is conciliatory, the “A320” going Punk, rapidly with staccato like in Stam1na, with a last middle pace part. Powerful it ends in a two minuted encore part, lending the listener some more time until the fade out and the clouds stop the rain and the sky clears up.