It’s only natural that, as we find ourselves immersed in the dense underground of what metal has to offer, some bands just keep offering up surprises no matter how much you’ve seen or whatever you may expect. Sometimes, the most interesting performances come from the most unexpected of places with even the smallest of bands offering something more than worthy of investigation. As if to prove my case, HKSPK offers much in what one might see as an unassuming album.
Throughout virtually every corner of the underground, I think it’s safe to say that the very roots of each given style still have such a strong presence in everything that goes on that they are downright inescapable for numerous different reasons. It’s one thing to want to hold on to some form of tradition and even offer respect to those that came before and influenced your own sound by perpetuation through imitation, but to try and make it your own is a struggle that all too many succumb to. HKSPK had no such struggles. While it may not be much in the ways of innovation or going against the grain with all that went into “Heimkehr”, the sheer diversity, dynamic songwriting, and smooth progression throughout the album that makes the work something that begs further investigation. What starts out as an unapologetic display of raw ferocity that’s steeped in the sort of black-death metal that many of us would expect, but it’s as “Heimkehr” goes on that the nuance and full arsenal of HKSPK comes into play magnificently. Allowing more melodic and atmospheric flavors to entice the listener at damn near every turn, “Heimkehr” does a spectacular job at delivering on its themes of war, loss, and returning home after a fundamental change of the self. It all makes for a suffocating yet deceptively deep aural experience that is much more than what one might expect.
Never relying too much on their roots of black and death metal, HKSPK knows how to twist its sound into something three-dimensional and more than worthy of diving into as we find ourselves surrounded by bands that don’t always know how to capitalize on their full breadth of ability. For everything delivered “Heimkehr”, we’re given nothing but an exemplary delivery that knows how to navigate its pitfalls and undeniably come out on top.
LISTEN to “Heimkehr” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE HKSPK on Facebook here.
FOLLOW HKSPK on Instagram here.