Hydrilla - Hydrilla (2017) EP Review

Hydrilla - Hydrilla (2017) EP Review
Hydrilla are a southern metal band from Deer Park, Texas, USA and have opened for scene legends Crowbar, Prong and Super joint Ritual.

Release date: 17th February 2017

For fans of: Southern and Sludge metal.
Best activity when listening: chugging a bottle of bourbon.

Check out their website, Facebook and Reverbnation:
http://www.hydrillaband.com
https://m.facebook.com/HydrillaBand/
https://www.reverbnation.com/hydrillaband

Track list:
1.White Widow
2.Predation
3.24 Hours Of Sobriety
4.Indolent
5.Friendshit
6.Gone Camping

Hydrilla's sound is heavy and pulverising, loaded with groove, rhythm and an abundance of catchy Riffs. Their sound draws alot of influence from the Nola and Texas Sludge/ Southern metal scenes. They play tight and cohesive, the traits of a well rehearsed and seasoned touring band. There is a good variety in tempo and texture. The production is well balanced, the drums are loud but not overpowering , the guitars and bass do take over the songs at times, the vocals are savage and searing which gives their sound an edge.

The EP starts off strong and wastes no time getting straight down to business with a memorable groove accompanied by sludgy vocals. This gets broken up with a bass line before a nasty riff enters, encouraging headbanging  but not before the tempos are switched up a few times before finishing up the opening track "White Widow"

"Predation" is the next aural onslaught on the EP, starting off slow with a southern style medolic guitar lick, then a savage riff enters and is extremely difficult not to headbang to. The abrasive screaming leads the charge on this tune. There is a great breakdown towards the end of the song which then loops back to the main chorus to finish this song.

"24 Hours of Sobriety" is up next, which starts off with a bluesy melody but soon turns into a southern metal riff with the drums laying down the rythym with blaring guitars and bass. There is an old school style guitar solo past the halfway point in the song, which gives way to the main riff, which ends the tune.

"Indolent" follows with a heavyweight melody that is immediately memorable. There's a clear influence from DOWN on this cut with Anselmo like harsh vocals, big guitar hooks and pounding drums. This song then transitions into the next track.

"Friendshit" the intro offers a quick breather, with some mellow and melodic guitar work, clean vocals and pulsing drums. This doesn't last long until the scathing verse kicks in with Hydrilla switching up the tempo and textures a few times, before a vicious breakdown, that's sure to ignite a moshpit in the crowd. This finishes off the track and leads into my highlight of the EP.

"Gone Camping" opens with a catchy melody that is certainly the heaviest cut off the EP, the vocals on this tune take a back seat to the bruising bass and guitars which lead this song. Accompanied by the drums it creates a crushing sound with some aggressive drumming and groovy bass lines. The release ends on a literal high not with a scathing scream to finish the EP.

Overall it's a 7.5/10, it's a solid and tight debut EP with plenty of catchy Riffs, heavy grooves and guttural vocals. However it could do with more guitar solos and maybe some acoustic or slower songs to provide more variation.