Album Review: Hurakan - Via Aeterna

Album Review: Hurakan - Via Aeterna

The French brutal deathcore/death metal band Hurakan are back with their third full-length album ‘Via Aeterna’, released by Lacerated Enemy Records on the 15th April 2022. Thomas Crémier (drummer), created the sound design, recorded, re-amped, mixed and mastered the album at his studio, SoundBlast Studios. The album also features striking artwork by Nightjar/Adam Burke.

Hurakan

Via Aeternstarts a new era for Hurakan, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with all of you after two years of intensive work. We have pushed our boundaries in composition and performance, resulting in a more cohesive, organic and mature music taking the listener through different atmospheres and emotions on a blistering journey. We feel this is our biggest and most successful effort to date, Via Aeterna reflects Hurakan’s new state of mind, inspired by the mental problems that everyone can unfortunately endure in their lives, but also about existential issues such as death, the aftermath and the anguish it can bring.

A statement from Hurakan

Track Listing from ‘Via Aeterna’:

1. Imperium (feat. Kyle Anderson of Brand of Sacrifice)
2. Void
3. Abyssal (feat. Filip Danielsson from Humanity’s Last Breath & In Reverence)
4. Charon
5. Asmodeus
6. Vagrant
7. Resurgence
8. Umbra
9. Via Aeterna (feat. Raphaël Verguin from Psygnosis, Spectrale & Rïcïnn)

This whole album demonstrates the true meaning of “epic”. Composer Philippe Parickmiler has beautifully composed full orchestral arrangements to feature on each song, to create a very dynamic and dramatic feel – each song feels like a film score.

The opening track ‘Imperium’ opens with a very suspenseful section and continues on to display gutteral growling, piercing screams and the ever-awesome gatling gun kick drums. A great opening song, which sets the dramatic tone for the rest of the album.

‘Void’, ‘Abyssal’, ‘Charon’ and ‘Umbra’ give a very good representation of Hurakan’s sound – a deathcore musical style combined with demonic, brutal death metal vocals and glorious blast beats. The background orchestral arrangements lift the songs to a whole new level and gives the listener a 3-4 minute onslaughts of musical variety.

The tracks ‘Asmodeus’, ‘Vagrant’ and ‘Resurgence’ have some strong Fit For An Autopsy and early Gojira influences, which I personally enjoy a lot. These songs feature melodic guitars, theatrical orchestral arrangements and some very interesting drum techniques.

The final song (and title track) ‘Via Aeterna’ is instrumental and is the heaviest, most hauntingly beautiful emotional rollercoaster of a song I have heard in a long time. It is truly amazing and it took me very much by surprise. It closes the album perfectly and leaves the listener wanting to go back for more.

The musical arrangement of this album exceeds all expectations of a traditional deathcore album and sets the bar very high for other bands in this genre.

RATING: 9/10.

FFO: FFAA, Human Worms, Gojira, Purefilth

Favourite tracks: Asmodeus, Vagrant and Via Aeterna

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