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HOTH
Oathbreaker

Self-released (2014)
Rating: 7.5/10

Not to be confused with the Portuguese one-man black metal band currently in existence, this Hoth are an American duo whose moniker derives from the fictional planet of the same name featured in the 1980 classic sci-fi movie Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

The Seattle-based band consists of two chaps named Eric Peters and David Dees, but I haven’t a clue who plays which instrument as there seems to be an air of mystery about this concept album. Even so, with the intrigue in mind we step into this eight-track opus which follows on from 2012’s Infinite Darkness in regards to style, with this platter being another experimental melodic death metal opus which is equally at home in producing wistful moments as it is with more abrasive textures.

The press release for this album states that Oathbreaker was recorded “in the cold, bleak months of 2013” and when one hears the opening strains of ‘The Unholy Conception’ one can fully appreciate that frosty influence. Hoth incorporates elements of black metal into their style, and in my opinion ‘The Unholy Conception’ has more in common with that particular style of metal than anything remote deathly. While high on melody with the ashen guitar sound, the stark feel gives the opus a Scandinavian edge as the drums initially have the effect of a steady machine gun laced with a rather pallid guitar tone that breaks through the ice in order to reach for the sunlight.

There is variation throughout with Hoth combining traditional elements too, but the vocals are very much of the black metal ilk – scratchy, throaty rasps with occasional deeper smirks. The tempo is one of subzero energy which is then contradicted by a breezy acoustic passage which comes as light relief before the track leaps back into that arctic rage.

‘A Blighted Hope’ displays further experimentation; again the acoustic guitar is key as it gently strums its way into the ears and cavorts sporadically with an electric trudge, taking the track into an Iron Maiden-esque whine before the snarling vocals emerge. Of all the tracks on offer, it’s this that remains as the most accessible and the one item which successfully mixes the melodic metal style with a harsher blend of tuneful, crisp black metal.

There is certainly an unpredictable edge about Hoth though, and they do love to use a variety of instruments in order to communicate with the listener. For instance, ‘Cryptic Nightmares’ begins with a melancholic piano before transforming into a full-on, buzzing industrialised dose of blackened thrash. It’s a stonker of a cut featuring utterly convincing vocals which reek of menace and the melting of doomier thrash and melody works a treat.

‘Serpentine Whispers’ follows suit with its grim sneer and contrasting jaunty riff, while ‘Oblivion’ rages across the tundra and where frost meets water tumbles into the epic-sounding ‘Despair’ which alters the path somewhat and flirts with death and black metal. The charging ‘Unending Power’, of all the tracks, showcases the deathlier aspects of metal with its guttural approach.

Oathbreaker is a very good album that despite its pristine white façade features some excellent riffs and sinister vocal retorts. And with the duos aim of producing something cold and dark, they have clearly succeeded in realising their dream by constructing a menacing bundle of tracks to freeze the blood.

Neil Arnold

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