Hydrovibe's 2000 Demo picks up where last years left off, the group has slowly plunged forward into a more atmospheric blend of heavy music that takes shape in an almost aggro industrial flavor. Coarse female vocals belt out fearsome verses and choruses while rapid fire drum beats paint a hectic pace. The bands latest approach could possibly bare some similarities to a group like Static-X when judged by the ferocious movement of the percussion, but the guitars and vocals applied here are more colorful and take control with a vast dynamic range. Once again frontwoman Heather churns out her soulful throaty vocals with raspy tones and aggravated growls that don't sound cheesy or typical. She also doesn't limit herself to this aspect, as at times she also dabbles in melodic sounds and ambient chants that contrast nicely with the multitude of backing male vocals. A bit further away from the rap styled flows this time around, the verses are structured with slightly disjointed sentences and drawn out verbal harmonies which erupt with bursts of roughened anger, constructing an enjoyable lyrical journey. Guitars are boldly experimental and showcase a bevy of fresh ideas and sounds that are usually heavily effect coated. Snarling riffs with a warm sounding distortion easily blend into everything from funk inspired plucking to offbeat squeals and squawks that fit right into the ever bubbling mixture. Melodic and controlled, there's a lot of alien tones and sounds achieved here that could almost be confused for a keyboard to the uneducated ear, making the guitar one of the bands biggest contributors to creating the immense depth in their songs. Bass is a bit more restrained than the other components and comes off a bit lower with a menacing rumble and techniques deep rooted in hip hop and funk influences. Very groove heavy there's some tapping at times and skilled scale progressions that are at times partnered with effects, the basslines played are solid, percussive and interlock very tightly with the drums and guitar riffs establishing a solid flurry of instrumental mayhem. Drums are persistently upbeat and focus heavily on the tightly tuned snare and kick drum in what could possibly be best described as a disco/funk reminiscent playing style. Constantly throbbing and pounding, they propel the tracks forward at a swift velocity with a plethora of highhat and cymbal work usually only stopping to break the tension every now and then with a tom hit or snare roll. There's also a bit of a programming/keyboard element at play that along with the impressive guitar work adds a vivid dimension and casts an almost ethereal quality on the music. At first listen the bands music might come on a bit too strong for some listeners, not so much in power, but in the way the songs almost force their way to the listeners ear with pulsing trance like thuds. After a few listens though, the bands music begins to charm with its weathered grooves as the emotional lyrics begin to cascade in and out between the dense ambiance and generous soundscape which carries an almost mechanical mannerism. Although the vocals sound genuine and the instrumental contributions provided here are quite talented, there's an almost all too familiar formula evident in each song, with a pounding drum beat and a decidedly upbeat structure, and this can pretty much make the songs fade into one another. There's a lot of different elements tackled in each song, but at times it can be hard to discern them from one another, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but can negatively affect the music's potency to those looking for an all encompassing CD. Hydrovibe know they are onto something good and are sticking to it, this release documents an evolved and overhauled representation of the sound the band was toying with on their last demo and with a bit more experimentation and tweaking here and there they will without a doubt possess a complete arsenal of auditory attacks to skyrocket them to the big time.
(4 / 5)