Hyperdump: Rational Pain

Hyperdump's Rational Pain is the first release from a group of French metal musicians who banded together to create something eclectic and interesting, a mélange of influences they hoped would attract listeners. The result generally succeeds, but I'm not confident that everyone will enjoy the range of sounds and influences they may hear. The members of the band describe themselves as a blend of Faith No More and Strapping Young Lad. I can also hear the occasional nod to Red Hot Chili Peppers, though I'm not sure if this connection is completely intentional. I can certainly hear the influence of Faith No More, but I wonder whether Hyperdump wouldn't be better off pursuing sounds of their own creation. Faith No More was a good band, but weren't they part of that late 80s / early 90s sound many of us want to forget? Nevertheless, Hyperdump captures some good heavy grooves during the openings of their songs that I found admirable. I like a good opening groove that develops into a strong jam. The tracks "Waves of Nothingness" and "Loser" were probably the best examples of how these guys set up a song. When the vocals enter, though, I'm less convinced that this is a sound I want to hear. I don't mind the cleaner vocals here, but the way they are both chanted and sung captures too much of that Nu Metal sound of so long ago. It seems that these guys would want to explore new territory. The best song on the album, "Hatred," has a very cool groove about midway through that reminded me of Velvet Revolver. The closing track, an acoustic version of "Pig Song" was catchy and fun.

Most of the lyrics deal with issues of anger, hurt, and loneliness, a perfect blend of adolescent angst and despair. I've heard lots of songs about anger and despair over the years, but I didn't find much here that took these themes in new directions. To be fair, maybe there just isn't anywhere else to go than to express anger, but I would have liked more exploration of these lyrical themes and ideas. These guys are clearly talented and this is a good debut album. I'm going to wait and see where else they go musically before I get too excited.

Track Listing:
1. Wake Up
2. Waves of Nothingness
3. My Confusion
4. Working Men
5. Loser
6. Urizen
7. Breaking Life
8. Pig Song
9. Hatred
10. Pig Song (Acoustic)

Added: June 16th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2177
Language: english

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