Hospice – Irreparableness

One year after the release of their demo Contraries, Belarusian death metal band Hospice released their first and only full-length album, Irreparableness. Don't they mean irreparability? Anyway, I listened to this album with the hopes that it would be just as crazy as their demo, and luckily for me, they did not disappoint.

The album begins with some solemn sounding bass before launching into a wild Van Halen-like solo that has a very folksy rhythm to it. They're crazy right out of the gate. Their musical skills have improved as well. The drums are much more complex. Not only do they throw in a lot more fills and double bass, but they're also able to pull off complex beats with ease. They still play the death/thrash rhythms people are familiar with, so they still have some attachment to our world. The vocals now sound more like a black/thrash rasp, but there are also times where he pulls off these growls that remind me of a young David Vincent. The guitars are also more complex, as they are able to pull off more complex time signatures and play riffs that are a lot more orthodox. They also play a few solos that harken back to metal's early days, both in sound and structure.

Then there's the weird stuff. Near the end of “Look At My World”, I swear I heard some female vocals. I'm serious. The first two minutes of “Eternity Is Mine” consists of an Italian acoustic guitar that's playing these really fast tremolo riffs. Why? Who cares! Near the end of the song, they also throw in some violins just for fun. The song “Be In Love!!!” is essentially their deranged take on the grindcore genre, featuring pummeling blast beats and howling lead guitars. Also, on certain songs like “Life Of Sight”, they play these ominous clean guitars that remind of Sororicide and countless Floridian death metal bands that I'm unable to remember.

This full-length was much crazier and much more complex than their demo. I love it. I can't get enough of it. It's like Doritos. If you're a fan of crazy, unorthodox shit like !T.O.O.H.! and whatnot, then I'm sure you'll love Hospice.