YOU SEND ME THINGS, I LISTEN TO THEM: The Return of Hinayana
More tapping than a keg convention.
WAAAAAYYYYYY back in 2015 I was writing jokes about 2014 to talk about a demo from a one-man melodic death/doom band from my little town of Austin, Texas. Endless, the first demo from Hinayana, knocked my socks off. My primary complaint with it, though a small quibble, was the all-too-brief running time. Three years later, I’m noticeably older and shittier but Hinayana is back and my complaints have been rendered moot.
You’ve probably heard metal nerds remark upon debut full-lengths with their reedy, nerd-ass voices, “duhhhhhh I prefer the demo.” Should anyone exclaim this opinion about Order Divine, the first LP from Hinayana, please inform them that they are wrong. Wrong and possibly criminal. Order Divine takes everything great about the demo and expands it to bold new horizons.
Hinayana mastermind Casey Hurd has expanded his project from a one-man band into a full outfit. The drums, no longer programmed, offer a strong backbone to the melancholy weight of the record. Casey’s full-throated growl commands the action while the guitars slowly glide and harmonize into each other like tectonic plates. As before, the highlight of the band is the electrifying lead guitar that dances over each composition. On tracks like “The Window” and “Revelation” all of these big concepts and movements come together in a succinct and satisfying package.
Order Divine, an independent release, sounds like the product of a much bigger and more pedigreed band. If you’re a fan of Insomnium, Katatonia, or impeccably performed, moody metal, you’d be foolish to miss this one. Pick it up here.
