HILLSPHERE

Dutch prog metallers who could blossom.

Progressive post-metal covers any number of musical moods, from Cult Of Luna through to Alcest and Sólstafir. The Netherlands’ Hillsphere find themselves at the melodic end of the spectrum, combining elements of recent Anathema along with occasional forays into the darkness of Wolves In The Throne Room. At the heart of Florescence are two giant slabs of atmospheric prog: Ghost Of You, a mesmerising song of longing and angst, and the labyrinthine Mind At Rest. Like many debuts, this album is a showcase for the band’s different registers. It reveals that there’s very little main man Elias Meyer can’t handle, from tech metal breakdowns through to dreamy motifs and, on Our Physical Way Of Speaking, a bit of poppy near-metalcore. What we hear is a gifted band laying out their stall with confidence and skill. Now the debut is out, it will be fascinating to see how Meyer and co shape things. Given the strength of the longer tracks, including closer Clairvoyance, it may be that the space they find in extended forms is the future. Florescence is the process of flowering or developing richly. Hillsphere could develop into something fantastic indeed.