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Album Reviews : The Levitation Hex – Cohesion

By on April 28, 2016

553909When I put together a review I’ll often start the process by jotting down any obvious influences or stylistic similarities between the music I’m reviewing and certain iconic albums or genre defining acts. Later on I’ll draw on these comparisons with the aim to hopefully give readers a feel for the style of the release. I find this sort of thing helpful when reading reviews myself, especially if I’m not familiar with the band being reviewed. In the case of Cohesion, The Levitation Hex’s second full length album, I’ve come up short. I’m just not sure that there can be any sweeping comparisons made between Levitation Hex and other bands without selling the 4 piece short.

The vocals on the album grab me from the very first song. Generally they are a blend of shouted styles delivered by Agius and Palfreyman. This vocal style coupled with the odd sludgy riff gives the release a sort of early era Mastodon flavour at times. “Buried in a World” has shades of Devin Townsend in the guitar arrangements. “Hipokritikill” may well have been influenced by some of Faith No More’s finest work. The opening track “Disrate” has a bit of a Queens of The Stone age vibe and the wah-drenched solo in “The Things Time Cant Mend” is a clear nod to Hendrix.

Levitation Hex confess to having a myriad of influences that range from 70s prog, to traditional death metal and somehow they seem to be able to combine all of these elements without creating an overly ‘out there’ or ‘scatterbrain’ release – despite the range of sound and dynamics, Cohesion really is a fitting title for the album. The music is heavy, progressive and brimming with top notch musicianship – heavy music as it should be!

First and foremost Levitation Hex seem to be a band who clearly make music to please themselves. The result is a varied and ultra refreshing release which is bursting with groovy riffs, driving drums and unexpected twists and turns. These guys are clearly a very talented band across the board, with all members shining without dominating or detracting from the other elements. Cohesion is the work of a creative band with a solid grasp on their sound and an undeniable maturity when it comes to song writing and arrangement. There is a mainstream rock sensibility in the writing style which seems at odds with the heaviness of the music – Despite the heavy grooves and the creative lead work, all of the songs have a certain catchiness to them.

Cohesion is a collection of nine 9 quality songs and there is not a single weak track on the disk. I have little doubt that will go down as one of the best Australian releases in 2016. Cohesion is just one of those albums that just needs to be heard.

About

Chris is a long time metal enthusiast and advocate for Australian heavy music scene. Chris grew up in Perth, Western Australia and is a past member of modern melodeath act Let's Kill Uncle. Currently residing in London, UK.