Written by Zax
- Hannes Grossmann – To Where The Light Retreats
- Progressive Death Metal from Germany
- Released independently on June 1st, 2021
- 8.3/10
Going into this record, I knew there was no way I wasn’t going to love it. The reason for that comes in knowing who Hannes Grossmann is, and if somehow you don’t, let me tell you! Hannes Grossmann is a legendary death metal drummer, having been a part of Necrophagist, Obscura, Hate Eternal, and Triptykon to name a few. He also has some great production credits under his belt, like the last Gomorrah album, or most recently, the fantastic new Mother Of All album. With a pedigree that stacked, my expectations are always sky high for his work.
https://hannesgrossmann.bandcamp.com/album/to-where-the-light-retreats
This here is his 4th solo LP and it’s a force to be reckoned with. It’s progressive in the sense that it takes technical death metal to it’s highest possible potential while adding something new and fresh to the mix along the way!
The performances on the record are stellar, to say the least. The guitar work is incredibly complicated, the progressions, lead work, and solos are all something to behold. That’s great enough as is, but what’s really intriguing is the guitar tone. It’s a lot brighter and warmer than a lot of tech death out there, and it definitely works to the album’s benefit! The song structures are nicely varied for a diverse listening experience, from short bangers to long epics. The drumming is outstanding, which pretty much goes without saying for a Hannes Grossmann record. He just has a way with his kit like no other, his style never fails to be unique and interesting.
What really makes this album feel different from other tech death masterpieces is the content and the atmosphere. Usually you’ll hear a lot of futuristic, science fiction type stuff, but this record feels almost triumphant and optimistic, which makes for an interesting clash of ideas. The vocals are very nice as well, the man has some beastly mids that are pretty clear and well-performed, plus some epic clean vocals here and there from himself and a few guests I believe.
This will be in the upper echelon of technical death metal and progressive death metal this year for those in the know, do not miss out, cause this is great stuff.
8.3
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