CoC : His Hero Is Gone - Fifteen Counts of Arson : Review

His Hero Is Gone - _Fifteen Counts of Arson_
(Prank, 1997)
by: Henry Akeley (8 out of 10)

HHIG has been receiving all kinds of adulation from hardcore/crust/grind enthusiasts. And I can see why, as this is very powerful and fairly unconventional stuff - albeit not quite the earth-shattering revelation which all the hype might lead you to expect. The overall sound (vocal style, guitar amplification, and production) is of the crushing and crusty metallic variety, while the compositional style is much more rooted in hardcore and grind: 36 minutes, 24 songs. (Besides the 15 songs referenced in the title, there are 9 more from, I believe, a self-titled 7-inch release.) There's plenty of hard-hitting speed and lots of crushing slow sections - but these fairly conventional elements are skillfully positioned within unorthodox structures, among walls of mounting feedback, hammering crescendos, snippets of eerie melody, and more. Great sequencing, too: each track is brief, but the resulting multifaceted whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. (Personally, though, I'd dig this more if there were fewer slow parts and more ripping breaks into fast hardcore riffing.) Think of Brutal Truth with more engaging guitar stylings, much briefer songs, and a bit more power-chord gusto, and you've got a pretty good idea of HHIG. Better yet, imagine Corrosion of Conformity's titanic _Animosity_ with more inventive songwriting. Incredible production, too. Eclectic, articulate, and powerful music, all in all.

(article published 12/8/1997)

ALBUMS
13/4/1998	S Hoeltzel	9	His Hero Is Gone - Monuments to Thieves

GIGS
12/8/1999	A Wasylyk	His Hero Is Gone	Did You Ever Know That You're My Hero?