Gareth checks out the recent offering German Melo-deathers.. Hiraes, here’s what he thinks!!

With a band name derived from the Welsh word “hiraeth”, which stands for ‘the nostalgia and yearning for lost places of the past or a home that maybe never was’, I had to take on the job of reviewing the latest release from German Melodic Death metal quintet HIRAES, and their sophomore album ‘Dormant’.

The band, which is formed by ex-DAWN OF DISEASE instrumentalists; Lukas Kerk, Oliver Kirchner (Guitars), Christian Wösten (Bass), and Mathias Blässe (Drums) and fronted by ex-CRITICAL MASS vocalist Britta Görtz, certainly turned heads with their debut release ‘Solitary’ back in 2021, which was a confident, striking, hard hitting, yet anthemically melodic album. ‘Dormant’ continues that assured first step with another quality record comprising of 10 brand new compositions that maintains the same consistency as its predecessor.

For newcomers the band mix old school death metal with a healthy Swedish influence, with crunching down-tuned riffs intertwined with plenty of soaring melodic leads, and Britta’s powerful roars and shrieks adding a distinct gloss to the music. ‘Through the Storm’ is a belting up-tempo, catchy opener, and ‘We Owe No One’ continues the ferocity forward. During ‘Undercurrent’ the band flex their songwriting muscles and slow down (only briefly) while Britta shows she’s equally capable of producing stunning clean vocals just as easily as the brutal growls.

“About Lies” is the albums central showcase and combines rolling sheets of riffing with moments of serene melody, together with ruthless blast beats to accompany the extreme tremolo picked guitar parts. The album comes to a suitable conclusion with the title-track, at first lulling you into a false sense of security with its atmospheric intro before blasting off at light speed into a fittingly epic crescendo.

The sound is suitably heavy and crystal clear, and with veteran Jens Bogren (At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Kreator and many, many more) in charge of the mixing duties, you’d expect nothing less than perfection. In conclusion, this a very solid melodic death metal album, that will please fans of early In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and yes of course Arch Enemy, although that is an obvious and lazy comparison, as Hiraes are certainly AE no clones, and are a powerful act in their own right, I’m not sure it will make my ‘top 10 album’ list, but this is a strong release that’s definitely worth checking out.

Hiraes – Dormant was released on the 26th January… Go Check it out!!