Nonetheless

Review Score: 9.0

Reviewed By: Jason Deaville

Let’s take this back. All the way back to the year 1990. Now, for those of you long enough in the tooth, you’ll likely remember ’90 as one hell of a year in metal. I won’t get into any of the details here, as you can do that by checking out my 1990 Year In Metal retrospective. To sum up, 1990 will always be known as a year of musical discovery. One of those discoveries came in the form of an album titled Beg To Differ, the incredible sophomore effort from New York City’s Prong.

The influence and impact of Prong in the early 90s cannot be understated. Both Beg To Differ and the follow-up, Prove You Wrong, went on to inform countless bands in the realm of groove, thrash, crossover, and alternative-metal, literally paving the way for bands such as Gojira, System Of A Down, Skinlab, Pro-Pain, Volbeat, and Lamb Of God. In fact, for better or worse, it could be argued that Prong was directly responsible for nu-metal, which sprung into existence a mere four years after Beg To Differ, with Korn‘s self-titled that dropped in ’94.

With the groundwork laid, let’s jump ahead to the turn of the century. In that time, metal had not only endured, it thrived. With the new century came Kansas City’s Ismert brothers (Abe, Eli, and Henry), all born in the first decade of the 2000s. In 2012, at the ages 4, 7, and 9 years old, the brothers would form the band Hammerhedd. Just a few short years later, the boys would release their debut EP, Essence Of Iron (2018), followed by their debut full-length, Grand Currents (2020).

To my pleasant surprise, both the EP and debut album came chock-full of Prong-like groove, and would go on to receive critical-acclaim, quite the feat considering their ages at the time of both releases. To these ears, it’s like they literally channeled Tommy Victor, spewing out all the dirty-yet-slick elements of Prong‘s Beg To Differ and Prove You Wrong. Magically, Hammerhedd took me right back to the early 90s, a time and place that holds many of my very best musical memories and discoveries.

Thankfully, Hammerhedd have once again proven that they are anything but a two-trick pony with their brand new, self-released album, Nonetheless. The album continues on with the groove-laden approach of their previous two releases yet, this time, there is a marked maturity in both sound and execution. It’s immediately discernible that the alt-metal elements are more pronounced, weaving in and out of the groove metal tapestry that is the core of their sound. If that weren’t enough, the boys sneakily drop tinges of both industrial and hardcore, combining to create a perfect sludge of relentless rhythms and brutal distortion.

As the album winds down, things take an unexpected turn. The quadrumvirate of ‘Fruition’, ‘Down The Hall And To Your Left’, ‘Synthesis Pt. 1’, and ‘Synthesis Pt. 2’ all combine into a trippy, prog-inspired experience not unlike the more hallucinogenic elements of Voivod‘s Nothingface, including, believe it or not, the tone and cadence of Voivod vocalist, Snake. Yep. Hammerhedd vocalist Henry and his merry band of crushingly-heavy brothers perfectly capture the sublime weirdness of the Montreal legends, intentional or not.

Without doubt, the three-piece juggernaut that is Hammerhedd are here to stay. Let us not forget that some of the most influential and successful bands to ever have existed are power trios: bands like Rush, Cream, ZZ Top, Melvins, Dying Fetus, and Motörhead. This is incredible company to keep. Considering their age and already-proven skills, the skies the limit for these exceptionally talented brothers. Stay tuned, as they are only just getting started!