Review Summary: 8 Minutes Of Unadulterated Anger. With Added Sludge.
His Hero Is Gone was a crust punk/sludge band formed in 1995 and released six albums before splitting up in 1999.
Fool’s Gold was the final 7 Inch release by the band.
Despite only being six tracks long (the longest of which clocks in at just over 3 minutes), His Hero Is Gone still manages to produce 8 minutes of material packing a punch which hits the listener and draws them in. The band does this by utilising a mixture of fast hard hitting riffs, slower power chord riffs, mid level growled vocals and pounding, blast beat infested drums. Opening track “Scare Tactic” is a slow, lumbering - especially compared to the other five tracks on the album) - bass heavy track with the lyrics condemning government/army tactics matching the lumbering sustained power chords:
"Full pressure fear forced interrogation
Dealers in blood pit your friends as your foes with
threats on your free life dangle the shackles before
fear filled eyes Extracting the serum of truth and
injecting the venom of lies Back in again Offering
betrayal as your saviour Ripping out your heart and
setting it safely out of reach then demanding you
sweat forth lies to have it back again Under heat
lamps and gunpoint they'll force you to confess Have
you believe you'll walk if you rat on the rest
Scare tactic"
In fact, the vocals are one of the focal points of
Fool’s Gold. Whilst the lyrical content is similar to most crust and grind bands, they are performed with such a palpable rage and contempt that they hit the listener harder and have a bigger impact on the overall listening experience.
As well as displaying their slower side, His Hero Is Gone will still appeal to fans of crust with fast paced numbers “Fool’s Gold” and “Sound The Alarm”, but even these tracks have been injected with a sludge influence, breaking into down tempo interludes and it is this sludge influence that gives His Hero Is Gone an extra appeal, the closing track “Raise The Curtain” again showing the band’s ability for writing slow yet catchy riffs.
The band still utilises crust song lengths which could be perceived as both a positive and negative aspect. Some may feel that the short track lengths don’t allow for longer sludge sections while some may prefer the shorter lengths that prevent the slower sections from dragging on too long. I feel that the track lengths work well, allowing just enough time to entertain the listener before moving on. Similarly, the album is not for those who aren't fans of short tracks lengths.
The production of the album keeps the guitars heavy and fuzzy and the drums hard and clear, which work together in providing an atmosphere to match the lyrical content. The higher mixing of the bass adds an extra low end impact to the tracks, particularly the slow tempo offerings, further adding to the claustrophobic feeling.
Fool’s Gold is a solid final middle finger to society by a band who clearly were not impressed with its modern values and politics, and it is this discontent that makes His Hero Is Gone’s material strong, hard hitting whilst also keeping the listener’s interest with a catchy crust and sludge combination.
Recommended:
Scare Tactic
Sound The Alarm
Raise The Curtain
