The first thing that hit me, before I even hit play on this 4-track, self-released EP from the Amherst trio, Hauzu, was the artwork. It’s pink, it’s painted, it looked like some Aaron Turner-esque Kabuki mask. And while the artwork was, in fact, Aaron Turner, it’s the Kabuki-like depiction that I keep coming back to after repeated listens. 

Is there something fresh, off-the-beaten-path, to this record? Is it actually Turner’s take on the Kabuki at the bands’ direction? Even if it’s not, drawing my own parallels, I can see the resemblance, can read into the color scheme and what that might mean. The reds representing the passion and anger after singer / guitarist Ben Goodbody was deployed to Iraq prior to the records release. The pink a representation of our youth, maybe a touch of naïveté, that bit of you that thinks, maybe its not so bad out there. 

This record is the reality snapping back. Opener “Ceaseless Wavering” is all-out pummeling in its first minute, drums smashing alongside the bass and guitar in a style that seems to fuse punk and metal before slowing down a spell. Then when it comes back, this subdued guitar part is backed by an absolutely monstrous bass riff that gives this EP post-metal vibes. 

The back and forth of the quiet loud of the opening track gives way the feedback squeals of “My Head Beneath the Waves,” the shortest track, clocking in under two minutes. The kick drum keeps a steady pace throughout as the chord changes pickup every scrape and scratch across the frets as they descend into the feedback that prevails throughout the duration.

“Forgettable Noise” follows and opens quietly and evolves into a quickly strummed riff. There is a panic and pain in these vocals, there is no clean singing, despite the the back and forth of clean-to-distorted tones. You can feel the myriad of influences throughout the evolution of the track. The bass guitar really finds itself a nice home in these tracks, helping to carry the track forward as the guitar seems to loop, droning the riff over and over as the song nears its end, carrying this weight, this heaviness. 

The last track “Little Shells” brings the listener back to the bass riffs of Dakota Gill. You really feel the heaviness throughout this record shaped by the bassist. The low end during these riffs really pummels, especially at the halfway point, as the guitar slides about the upper mid-range the bass makes you want to nod your head through the wall. 

To sum it up, this record seems to wear a great many influences in the best possible ways. It has absolutely massive moments of thick, low end sludge. Bits and pieces of blackened metal and punk in riffs throughout, and in the vocals. Hats off to the band for writing such an amazing debut and for partnering up with the brilliant Will Killingsworth (Orchid / Dead Air Studio). If you find yourself enjoying bands like Suffocate for Fuck Sake, Waifle, or Document 7 era pageninteynine then give this record a spin. 

Checkout their bandcamp here : Hauzu

Writer : @garevthistle

Editor : @letsgetpivotal

10/13/24