Hoia: Scavenger

Hoia is the brainchild of Indian musician Prateek Rajagopal, a multi-instrumentalist who had previously released two EPs under the Hoia moniker. On his first full length album titled Scavenger he has enlisted the help of Porcupine Tree’s Colin Edwin on bass and Wojtek Deregowski on drums.

Hoia plays experimental/electronic heavy progressive rock loaded with mood and atmosphere, not unlike Porcupine Tree’s more adventurous fare. His vocal style is more pensive than aggressive, quite subtle at times and never dominates the soundscape. There is a forebodingness to some of these tracks, in particular the ten minute “Escape Orb�, at times emitting a darkness that can be a little unsettling but very effective. Besides keyboards, Prateek lets loose a cool muffled guitar solo followed by a barrage of heavy riffage. The song ends with one of the disc’s heaviest moments. The guitar, keyboards and electronics supply a haunting atmosphere that will likely stay with you long after the music stops. The first track “Write Across� features pulsating keyboards and enhanced vocal effects. A heavy dose of electronics dripping with moodiness and swirling synths begin the excellent “Electric Wizard�. The enhanced vocals add a mysterious and unnerving moodiness. This is one of the trippiest tracks and probably my favourite. The effects and electronic manipulations sound incredible on headphones.

Hoia has been an exceptional find as Rajagopal and company have made an excellent disc of heavy progressive rock and one I highly recommend, especially for fans of the moodier side of Porcupine Tree.

Track Listing:
1. Write Across
2. Escape Orb
3. Electric Wizard
4. Part 2
5. Scavenger

Added: June 6th 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 1065
Language: english

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