Ultra-dissonance is so hot right now.1 Yes, dissonance itself has been a thing for a long time in metal, and in music generally for far longer, but ever since artists picked up what Gorguts threw down and ran with it, this adjective has become associated with ever-increasingly twisted and abrasive soundscapes, the dial of ‘extremity’ moving further and further. The last few years in particular have seen an acceleration of this trend as an explosion of acts offer their take. Enter Hierarchies—formed of members from Acausal Intrusion and Dwelling Below2—who on their self-titled debut, serve up some more wonky, ugly, technical death metal fun for your listening pleasure (or pain).
If you’ve heard Acausal Intrusion, or any of the artists’ other death metal projects, then you’re some way towards knowing what Hierarchies sounds like. But aside from this, the other most immediate impression I got was the similarity to two acts not associated with Hierarchies’ members: namely, Ad Nauseam and Pyrrhon. Hierarchies is sophisticated in its technicality, but naïve in its sprawling, ugly execution. Chaotic and abrasive, it is replete with jangling percussion and stomach-turning riffs, with squealing chords spliced in, and narrated by gurgling, inhuman roars. The soundscapes substitute suffocation with that uncomfortable spaciousness that makes the wild and twisting (“Consecrate Phenomenon,” “Complexity Parallels”) or uneven and creeping (“Twilight Tradition,” “Subtraction”) disharmonies stand out more obviously. It is neither grand nor groovy, but grotesque, complex in a way that wards off rather than entices easy enjoyment. That’s not pejorative, because, in this genre, you work for your enjoyment and sometimes you just witness the weirdness and grin.
Hierarchies are not easy to paint with one broad stroke. At times, there are glimpses of a more ‘accessible’3 strain of (blackened) death metal à la Gigan or Immolation (“Entity,” “Vultures”). The fact that this opens the album exemplifies one way in which Hierarchies ambushes its listener. Other ambushes would be the flirtations with the (almost) atmospheric by way of quiet, pensive strums (“Twilight Tradition,” “Abstract,” “Vultures”) and genuine slips into swooping melody, though they are caught just before they become anything resembling a refrain (“Dimension,” “Abstract”). Hierarchies play very fast and loose with structure, shifting nonchalantly between tempos, riff patterns, structure, and vibe. It is more or less impossible to tell where a song is going to go, and as Hierarchies, broadly speaking, gets more chaotic and unhinged as it goes on, the album thus walks on the knife edge between exhilarating and exhausting. A gnarly bit of guitar might come skittering down out of nowhere (“Dimension,” “Complexity Parallels,” “Subtraction”), and it might even be sort of beautiful. There might even be the thrill of a repeated pattern, before things get weird again (“Abstract”). The very turmoil and technicality of the music on display is quite arresting, often making up for any lack of structure or harmony (“Twilight Tradition,” “Complexity Parallels,” “Vultures”). Yet, as an entity formed of such compositions, flitting wildly between its elements, Hierarchies overall feels a little fickle and a little too restless, as though someone had their finger on the fast-forward button in a whirlwind tour of disso-death.
Hierarchies is helped and hindered by that spacious production hinted at above. Every jarring, smooth, quiet, and furious note, roar, and beat has a clear voice in the fracas. It makes the impressive technicality and scope of these pieces easier to appreciate than if things were denser, but it also amplifies their intensity, as one can’t help but absorb every tiny detail that encompasses every sudden and swooping switch. This is a multi-layered album that unveils progressively more of its intricacies with each listen, and this in itself is a feat. Yet Hierarchies design things neither for mind-boggling scope, nor for intoxicating frenzy, and the result is a behemoth of undeniable prowess whose vacillation makes it hard to keep in step with.
For all its trials and triumphs, Hierarchies remains a very solid slab of ‘ultra-dissonant’ death metal. Given its members’ experience, it’s no real surprise it’s as strong as it is. But in this era, where smart, mind-bending, and savage interpretations of this extreme genre abound, Hierarchies have not done quite enough to elevate theirs above the norm. If you can’t get enough of this stuff, Hierarchies will serve you well; I’m not about to pretend I didn’t have fun with it. Its stamp on the scene, however, will likely be fairly short-lived for all but the most ardent of fans.
Rating: Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 17th, 2025
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