†HYMNS† - Cardinal Sins / Contrary Values (Album Review)
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Written by Ben Bland
†Hymns† really are something of an enigma. A collaboration between ex-Blakfish man Samuel Manville and former SOS drummer Peter Reisner, this self-described ‘atheist rock’ band are clearly determined to spread a message alongside creating their music; no prizes for guessing what that message is. Don’t go running off and calling them Satanists though…that’s just silly.
Don’t listen to this double record expecting it to sound like Blakfish…because it doesn’t really. What Manville and Reisner have created still retains the slight experimental touch of the aforementioned post-hardcore monsters but is just as at home with slightly off-kilter balladry as with crushing guitar work. First half “Cardinal Sins” is the more difficult of the discs to get into but is also potentially the most rewarding. One thing is for certain, this is not an album you can fully appreciate upon first listen. Repeated attempts will gain rewards however and it soon becomes clear that this is far more than the sum of the parts ‘guitar + drums’ should ever equal in this post-White Stripes age.
Not that this is strictly lo-fi in nature. Occasionally a piano drifts into the mix and of course the album is bookended by two pieces led by the distinctive sounds of the church organ (just in case you hadn’t noticed that the album is all about religion). Reisner is a powerful enough drummer if not the most spectacular and Manville’s vocals are likely to prove somewhat marmite-like for many, but the overall sonic palette on display here is testament to the wonders that can be created by just two musicians in a room.
Like the aural equivalent of barely contained rage, “Cardinal Sins / Contrary Values” is a record of densely put together, thoughtful music. Whether you can stomach its more avowedly noisy sections and its somewhat overpowering anti-Christian message is a matter only you can decide but it is more than worth giving it a try to find out.
“Cardinal Sins / Contrary Values” is available to order now from Big Scary Monsters.
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Don’t listen to this double record expecting it to sound like Blakfish…because it doesn’t really. What Manville and Reisner have created still retains the slight experimental touch of the aforementioned post-hardcore monsters but is just as at home with slightly off-kilter balladry as with crushing guitar work. First half “Cardinal Sins” is the more difficult of the discs to get into but is also potentially the most rewarding. One thing is for certain, this is not an album you can fully appreciate upon first listen. Repeated attempts will gain rewards however and it soon becomes clear that this is far more than the sum of the parts ‘guitar + drums’ should ever equal in this post-White Stripes age.
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