Photo Credit: Lisa-Marie Tanck
When you think of Germany you picture good things; beer, Frankfurters, amazing scenery. Well, we have one more thing to add to our list; hardcore Hamburg metal heads, Half Me.
After forming in 2018, the German quintet broke into the music scene with their iconic, energetic demeanour and their self-produced videos, really catching the eyes of fellow metal lovers. Within just two years, the band began making a huge impact, sparking the interest of the likes of Jack Bergin of Void Of Vision,resulting in a collaboration on Half Me’s single EXITWOUND. The success doesn’t stop there for these guys, as they received a massive breakthrough and landed right in the spotlight of Knotfest’s Count Down To Oblivion. Awesome, right? Well, this is where we tell you if their highly anticipated debut album SOMA meets our expectations. Spoiler alert… it does!
Kicking off the tracklist with thundering opener Wraith, we are teleported straight into a mosh pit with the classic combination of pounding riffs and insane breakdowns, all coupled with clean vocals urging you to scream along and headbang. It’s safe to say the band certainly don’t hold back with their blend of modern metal and the odd highlights of good old 90s nu-metal.
Filled with negative passion, lead singer Christopher Zühlke shows off his phenomenal guttural screams, paired perfectly with the sounds of their two guitarists, Christopher Hesse and Julius Janses, along with Tobias Max Sajons on the bass and Maximilian Eisersdorff smashing it out on the drums.
The first third of the album truly represents Half Me’s strength as musicians and also as songwriters, with Trauma Culture and Magma Hour giving us ear-blasting aggression. It’s fair to say that the song titles in themselves gives us an idea on what to expect when we press play, with the album telling a “twisted story about paranoid schizophrenia and the symptoms that come with it.” The amount of work and deep meaning behind each song is unfathomable.
Half Me definitely don’t struggle with switching it up a little, as they give us not one but two instrumental interludes; Zenit and Mitternacht. The dystopian sounds of Zenit contrasted with the relaxing atmosphere of Mitternacht really demonstrates that the band can go above and beyond, breaking the norms of a typical metal album.
As SOMA comes to an end, their self-titled track perfectly finishes off the album with a powerful finale. If you’re looking for a reason to listen to Half Me, we can give you twelve right here. Twelve unique songs, almost thirty-five minutes of an intense rollercoaster of emotions, played by incredible musicians. SOMA was definitely worth the wait, but don’t take our word for it! The album is now available on all platforms ready to be blasted at full volume, so you can dive into your own personal mosh pit.
8/10
Standout Tracks: Wraith, Distort, Ex Negativo
For Fans Of: Stray From The Path, Architects, Counterparts
Written by: Sian Connolly
