SO HIDEOUS-Laurestine
by Joshmetal Figueroa
I just had the chance to check out an album from the band, So Hideous, entitled, “Laurestine.” So Hideous is a symphonic black metal band from New York City. I will say that these guys are a force of nature. The combination of an orchestra, fast tempo, soaring guitars and vocals that scream to the top of the mountain is so different but works magnificently.
While each track is stellar, “Laurestine” cannot simply be listened to in parts at first. The listener must listen to this album from beginning to end as each song seamlessly weaves into each other. Brandon Cruz, founder of So Hideous stated that the album is about a man who is dying and experiencing a sensory landscape far beyond his scope of comprehension. The listener can certainly feel the impending doom that lingers in each guitar note, pained 
vocals and thunderous drums but at the same time are blissfully whisked away to a realm of calm via the 30 piece orchestra that was assembled to play on “Laurestine.” It is as if we are in the eye of a hurricane, looking at the chaos ensuing around us but in a circle of peace.
So Hideous takes their craft seriously. It shows in how carefully they structured each song on the 7 track album. They do not seem to be playing music because they had nothing else better to do with their spare time. So Hideous made an album that has tumultuous ferocity but is also just as beautiful as a peaceful morning. While most would see this album blending well with a big budget film, I can see this being used in an anime along the lines of “Attack on Titan.” I sincerely hope to hear more from So Hideous as time goes on. This is the type of band that needs to be heard outside of their genre. They have a huge vision and it needs to be seen and heard.
Joshmetal Figueroa, a Metal connoisseur, searches the galaxies, ferreting out the best Metal you may not have heard before. A New Jersey native, he left the button down world to travel through time and space, returning only long enough to share his discoveries.
October 21, 2015 at 8:24 am
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