Part three of the band’s Holon trilogy, the Hirsch – or should that be Harsh? – Effekt continue to do their damnedest to avoid pigeonholing by combining everything from mathcore and death metal to jazz and post-hardcore pop into a collection that’s bound to be lapped up by the alternative cognoscenti.
Able to conjure up soundscapes of mesmerisingly ethereal beauty – opener Simurgh and piano-led Tombeau – alongside completely bonkers squigglecore wig-outs, the real skill on show is the ability to maintain a consistent and powerful band identity.
The album’s ultimate statement is, suitably enough, the epic nine-minute closer Cotard – a complex construction of aggressive dissonance fused to soaring, delicate tunefulness. Holon: Agnosie is imaginative, bold and just way, way out there.
Classic Rock 214: New albums A-L
