Urian -The Hirsch Effekt

The latest single Urian from German progmetal mavens The Hirsch Effekt is nothing short of masterful. The talent in this trio is damn near overwhelming and it shows in this latest track. The vocals provided by guitarist Nils Wittrock and bassist Ilja John Lappin range from chamber-esque gothic to pure unadulterated shred. Drummer Moritz Schmidt keeps everything tied together perfectly as they navigate through a sea of stylistic changes, spanning a number of different genres within the framework of one song.
As prog drummers go, Schmidt is an absolute beast; powerful as fuck, but super tasteful. He brings a wall of percussive assault but knows exactly where to lay off or to accent with a slap in the face. Nils’s guitar work has all the hallmarks of killer prog guitar, but with his own next-level special sauce. His genius lies in the fusion of innovative lines paired with his crazy skill. (Think Holcomb meets Kubacki meets Cavalera...) On bass, John Lappin’s prowess is the perfect match for Wittrock and Schmidt. Super fat, nasty tones that poke through and let Lappin’s sophisticated playing shine.
The production is absolutely top notch. Producing and mixing projects like these offer all different sorts of challenges but these guys killed it. It’s both clear as a bell and then a fucking wall of sound exactly where it needs to be. Major props on the production side as well.
The Hirsch Effekt is hardly a new band with six albums under their belts over the last 13 years. This latest single is clearly a sign that they’re continuing to create excellent heavy, progressive music. They’re still doing everything right, with perhaps one exception: I need some tour dates here in the States!

Score – 9 out of 10. Heavy prog for the win!

-John