Incorporating orchestral movements into post-hardcore isn’t a new trick – see Year Of No Light or Cult Of Luna – and So Hideous take those elements and blend them with a harshly contrasting tone in order to create musical landscapes that build, ebb and burst into towers of sound.
The quartet don’t allow the 30-strong The First Light Orchestra to fade into the background, and working with the collective once again on Laurestine, the New York natives carry a strong structural current forward from their stunning debut Last Poem/First Light. The Keepsake rolls sublimely on huge screams from Christopher Cruz, occasionally allowing a pause for breath and a gorgeous string section.
Laurestine can often feel like a huge barrage of noise, but So Hideous lead you from beginning to end in cohesive steps while soft passages break the tension. The True Pierce is a fiery composition and A Faint Whisper closes Laurestine with uplifting, epic and grandiose passion.
