“You drowned the lord so my soul won’t take.”
It has become a regular theme of this decade for artists to break out into another genre with a collaborative side project, with the likes of Cherry, Peace Ritual, and Hurtwave popping up in recent years. Many of these have stuck to familiar genres that have become new influences on metalcore, such as shoegaze and synthwave. Breaking this trend is Hematite, the project of former Vanna vocalist Davey Muise and Andrew Gaultier of He is Legend, who have ventured down the route of Western and Americana with a gothic veneer that will disprove any assumptions people may have heading into their debut EP, Speak of the Devil.
Initially debuting with closer, “Adios“, their first throw of the dice was a strange one to digest. With the EP’s opener, “Switchblade“, set to possibly to confront this on Speak of The Devil‘s release, it’s likely these genres will be unfamiliar to many listeners coming in from the fanbases from respective members, or in some cases, be actively hostile. However, once this is seen through for those who will stick with the record, there is likely something here that will open avenues for listeners to indulge in new sounds.
Commanding Speak of The Devil are Muise‘s raspy vocals, which are bold and distinguishable, preventing the record from immediately blending in with the country-esque material that I’ve encountered before, mainly through other mediums such as TV shows and video games. There is an element of familiar media that comes to the forefront when listening, reminiscent of the Red Dead Redemption series and the initial season of True Detective, which allows it to not feel too alien as a concept.
The reverbed and clean guitars together build a distinctly Americana atmosphere that is set out from the aforementioned opener, “Switchblade“. With the addition of acoustic elements across its following tracks, Speak of The Devil doesn’t shy away from showcasing its intended character. While some of the lyrical content may seem slightly on-the-nose, such as “I’m the big bad wolf” on “The Wolf“, it thematically fits into the brooding atmosphere that the track is going for. More imagination in the lyrics would have been desirable, though.
This leads into what was the second single “Run Devil Run“, where I was initially won over by Hematite’s project. The whammy on the guitars reaching into the ear, it is perhaps here that Speak of The Devil presents its strongest sense of purpose. The plucked guitar chords blended with the acoustic sit pleasantly on the ear, vocally it intertwines sweetly, as the “Run devil run” vocal hook echoes through the track.
Slowing the pace down comes “Go West“. There is a marked simplicity to the track that makes it easy to enjoy. Muise‘s vocals here are the star of the track as, evident with Vanna‘s storied discography, there is an emotive power to his delivery that carries across to this project. While the voice notes and personally the project do seem somewhat out of place, Muise‘s talents undeniably shine through.
On the face of it, one could be quick to dismiss Hematite and what they are delivering with Speak of The Devil. Yet, it is refreshing to see a project emerge that doesn’t regurgitate the familiar genres of shoegaze and dream pop or stay in the lane of the projects that came before. It may take a few tracks to fully appreciate what Speak of The Devil has to offer, but it is worth entering the five tracks that Hematite offers up with open ears, as many might find themselves surprised.
6.5/10
Speak of the Devil is out this Friday, March 31st, via self-release.