Two decades and six albums in, with Hyperion this hypnotically heavy French five-piece have delved back into sludgy masses of sound while maintaining calmer moments that bring a rounded, tangible core to their music.
Dirge utilise ravaged, throaty sounds to build the level of oppression into monolithic proportions and on opener Circumploaris the gloriously crunched-down waves of sound curl around the steadfast voice that carries the song into realms so weighty they’d give Atlas a hernia. Hyperion Under Glass treads near-funeral doom territory before seguing into gentle, serene passages that conjure a feeling of bliss – albeit one that could be broken at any moment.
Gorgeous elements of synth colour the track with steady, repetitive lines that sink deep into the bones and take root, the flowing sound pushing forward and controlling the rhythm with preternatural ease. Dirge may not be a name on everyone’s lips despite the length of their career, but Hyperion will do much to change that.
