UK progressive metal band Hedra have released a 5 track EP titled “Mind Dimensions” which throws down some out of the box grooves mixed with a really heavy sound that compares to many of the illuminaries of prog metal. The influences the band draw from are somewhat fairly obvious but the band pick and choose some of those best elements in order to give a more original sound for themselves.
Going through the tracks, the title track kick things off in fairly brutish fashion with a blend of clean and harsh vocals setting the tone for what the band are about. It will be natural to hear a little Meshuggah on this one especially on the low ends but it grooves nicely and gives the listener a direction of what to think immediately. “Unspoken” begins with a real creepy voice in the intro (and I really mean creepy) that sounds something out of some horror film, the song itself however is more lighter in tone and the clean vocals give it a strong melodic sound.
“War Child” again goes in a different direction with a middle eastern sounding intro and some cool proggy riffs but again the melodies pull the song back a bit to give some dynamics within. “The System” is probably a favorite on here, frenetic riffs, high energy and some moments that are reminiscent of something like Sepultura. It works and it’s easily one of the better tracks on offer despite it being a little more straight edge than the others. “Lost I Am Hate” moves into some hardcore territory, heavy and brutal and the guitars just crunch all the way through.
Sonically the EP is on point, great dynamics, drums are highly audible and intact and the vocals as mentioned before have a nice mix between clean and scream. “Mind Dimension” is a great little EP release that should pique the interest of fans of the progressive metal genre.
TRACKLIST
Mind Dimension
Unspoken
War Child
The System
Lost I Am Hate