Local Review: Hibernaut – Ingress

Hibernaut
Ingress

Self-Released
Street: 05.03
Hibernaut = Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats + Electric Wizard

Imagine having a terrible nightmare and the symptoms include: sweating profusely, clammy palms, shaking and trembling. Your heart is pounding with an unusual rhythm. You’re scared, fear stricken and waiting on your impending doom. I felt this way when listening to Hibernaut’s Ingress. 

If you’re into music with feelings of an endless void, slow tempo and a sorrowful state of mind, Hibernaut is the perfect band for you. With roots in other local projects such as SubRosa, Dwellers, Oxcross, Laughter and Iota, Hibernaut formed with an assortment of peculiar aptitudes and are making sonic waves through Salt Lake City’s metal scene.  

“Inverted bodies bound by bare feet / The altar is the lock to the gate / The vessel fills with sacrificial blood / Egressing the goat of the scape / Fated ritual of untold exploit.” Dave Jone‘s resonant vocals break the veil between reality and delusions, best represented in “Summoner.” I felt like I was losing my fucking mind listening to the impressive, electrifying and heavy guitar riffs from Joey Toscano combined with Josh Dupree’s distorted, rhyic bass tones. The lyrics of “Summoner,” enhance ones feelings of fear and dread as the ‘summoner nears’ and opening the portal to the unknown. 

“Stygian Nectar” and “Projection” possess a similar rage and sadness comparable to Electric Wizard’s “Dopethrone.” Zach Hatsis percussion goes heavy on this album from every drum beat to every hit on his cymbals; he creates an atmospheric ambiance that fits well with the theme of these tracks. 

It is clear that the theme for this album had to do with life, death and existential existence. All the songs seem to follow the theme well; Jone’s lyrics create a picturesque illusion in one’s head. “Sloe” provides the perfect imagery for inevitable doom with lyrics like, “Swimming through the blackthorn / A red mist trailing,” and “Shape changing as it gains, evil is prevailing.” The lead guitar carries the quick tempo, which sets the pace of the song. The chugging technique creates the perfect tone that fills me with the kind of existential dread that causes a lump in the back of my throat. Toward the middle of the song, there is a sort of cadence of a melodic guitar riff with an angelic harmony that almost gives the illusion to feel safe until it’s followed by the lead guitar picking back up again. 

There are so many other goodies in Hibernaut’s Ingress that you’ll have to check out for yourself. It is worth the listen and serves up great imagery for people looking at the mirage of life and death like me. –Litzi Estrada