I've seen a myriad of metal qualifiers over the last few years (pagan, viking, blackened, brutal), but this Helsinki band plays something it calls "hyper" metal. Now, maybe that's just a translation issue and the notes are simply naming the release, and the issue is that English and Finnish can get garbled. Could be. Could be that I'm just not up with the times.

Glacerate Hyper EP (self-released)

But Glacerate does play a style of music I haven't really heard. There are elements of epic black metal, but these songs are tight and (mostly) short bursts of energy. Behind the scrim, a lot of what's happening sounds a lot like Rage Against the Machine or Snapcase (quite the range, but bear with me). There is a moment where a saxophone takes center stage. At times, the precision is reminiscent of German engineering. Then again, the band is also just as likely to fully lean into its dramatic black metal heart and simply wail away.

I have not heard these elements put together in this way before, and I like it. The punky writing mixed with the fuzzy, dramatic stage work as a force multiplier. This is loud, angry and technically brilliant. Pretty wild, all in all.

Every time I think metal has tried everything, I'm quickly proved wrong. There's a reason why so many qualifiers are being used. There's just so much to describe. I'm still not sure what "hyper" metal is, but I can say that Glacerate brings the goods. A stunning set.

Jon Worley