Album Review: House Of Hatchets – Reach (Self Released)

Coming at you from Edinburgh, and featuring Chris Allison (Vocals), Pete Cook (Bass), Frazer Parker (Drums), and Jamie Parker and Lewis Wheeler (Guitars) House of Hatchets release their debut album, Reach, which arrives on Friday 21st June.

Vocalist Chris Allison comments about the album:

“I think that we had identified our strengths from the recording of our EP ‘The Grind’. From there it was a case of picking through the songs and finding what we wanted to expand on. The album is us getting to the route of our sound and really crafting it to get the wonderful heavy racket you hear on ‘Reach’.” Chris continues: “Personally, I don’t think we sound like anyone else. You can hear elements of other people, but when we bring it all together it only sounds like us. It can be weird, explosive and angry, but it is also honest, deep, and moving. That’s my favourite thing about what we create. It can be raw but it’s always real.”

Beginning with an absolute bang, an explosion of huge riffs and energetic head-banging heaviness, Moth Song is a killer start. The punchy groove only bettered by a fantastic chorus, it’s a bar setting track.

The catchy groove heaviness continues strongly into Epitaph and The Sick and the Damned before the absolutely uplifting Lilith comes along. The moment House of Hatchets step forth from just being a good metal band and become a great one. The riffs take us on a trip while the vocals are on fire, the dirty depths of the drums and bass giving it a really meaty sound even though it’s a little slower.

The speedier groove makes a return for Uprising, a track that is a little bit on the repetitive side and certainly not as ear-wormy as Burn. A track that really burrows deep and will quickly get repeated plays.

The quality stays high for the most part with only the previously mentioned Uprising and the following Open Ocean failing to ignite much in the way of passion. Not inherently bad songs by any means but nowhere as ‘grabbing’ as what is elsewhere. Especially when we get such beasts to close out the album as the unbelievably groovy Black and Blue. Or the fist pumping fire of Asylum or the final uplifting beastly Last One Lost. A trio of tracks that tell you everything you need to know about House of Hatchets.

House of Hatchets – Reach Full Track Listing:

1. Moth Song
2. Epitaph
3. The Sick And The Damned
4. Lilith
5. Uprising
6. Burn
7. Open Ocean
8. Black And Blue
9. Asylum
10. Last One Lost

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